New Beginnings
by Face of Poe
Summary: Jaina suddenly finds herself reminded of a tumultuous past between her and Kyp while she and Jag face a stressful crossroads as Leyla prepares to begin Jedi training and they fight to keep the family together; Sequel to Against All Odds 4th of 6 in series
1. Prologue

**A/N**: Ah- new story! And this one is all to be blamed on _**Future ADA**_, who just _had_ to ask if I was going to continue this AU… and I wasn't really planning on it… but plot bunnies abound. *sigh* So, a month later, we have part 4 of a series- **New Beginnings**.

**Disclaimer: **Recognizable materials are property of LucasFilms and the like. I make no money, I just toy with other people's characters for my own sick amusement- and hopefully yours, if you're reading this. :-D

**The Series**: This is the FOURTH part of a series, which consists of: (all available on the site)

1- _An Informal Apprenticeship_- in which Jaina agrees to apprentice with Kyp during the Yuuzhan Vong war, and soon finds herself further in over her head than she ever expected (Rated M). (K/J)

2- _Betrayal, Forgiveness, Redemption_- in which Kyp succumbs further to the dark side after Jaina leaves him following the incident with the worldship at Sernpidal , betraying her and shattering her trust- with some shocking revelations at the end. (J/J)

3- _Against All Odds_- in which the 7-year-old daughter of Jaina and Jag is kidnapped, and Kyp is the only one who can save her- committing treason and attacking Jedi in the process.

This story… as far as background information, I would recommend at least reading part 2, _Betrayal, Forgiveness, Redemption_. There are numerous references to events in parts 1 and 3, but nothing that will be horribly confusing if you haven't read them. But the early parts of this story especially will be confusing if you don't have the background provided in part 2.

**Summary**: Set four years after _Against All Odds_, Jaina and Jag find themselves at a stressful crossroads in life: Leyla prepares to start her Jedi-training on Ossus, Jag's job takes its toll on his time with his family, and Jaina has an unsettling appointment with Cilghal- to discuss why, after four years of trying, her and Jag can't seem to have a baby.

**Rating**: T- for mild suggestiveness and sexuality, and some disturbing situations (or references to them).

_**New Beginnings**_

**Prologue**

Her legs dangled off of the examination table, kicking absently as she stared around the room, familiar but never seen from this perspective. Before, it had been a room in the Jedi temple, one she visited rarely, to check in with Cilghal or Tekli about something; once, she had been a patient down the corridor in a recovery room, only for a day after receiving a blaster burn in the side. But now, she was here, not as a patient, per say, but as an enigma, a problem to be solved.

She needed Cilghal to tell her what was wrong with her.

The mon calamari healer Jedi Master in question came striding into the room moments later, and Jaina gave her a wan smile that didn't betray her underlying frustration. Wordlessly, the healer attached a handful of sensors to various places on Jaina's head and body- mostly on her exposed midriff- and then sat back in a chair, hands clasped in her lap, staring intently at the patient.

"You say it has been four years?" her gravelly voice was grave.

"Yes…well," she hesitated, "we were really _trying_ for a year, and then thought that maybe we were stressing too much about it, and it was so soon after the whole thing with Leyla being kidnapped… so we relaxed, realized that we had plenty of time, and just sort of… passively tried… for a couple of years," her mouth quirked wryly. "And then last year, I finally decided that it was time to see a doctor- a specialist in such things," she explained, and Cilghal blinked her understanding, "and he couldn't pinpoint any particular reason that it should be so hard for the two of us…"

"But you've still had no success."

"Obviously."

The healer considered the young woman carefully. "Well, Jedi Fel… I will of course do what I can, but… this is a relatively uncharted area in terms of practical Jedi application, and does not really fall under the heading of 'healing' so much. I only want you to have fair warning that I'm out of my element in this problem."

She nodded curtly. "Understood."

For close to an hour, Cilghal alternated between peering at monitors, connected to the sensors on Jaina's body, and relaxing into deep meditative-like states with a flipper-like hand lightly touching Jaina's head or stomach, reaching, sensing, feeling…

During that time, Jaina lay back, bored, on the table, eventually drifting into a light doze that glaringly showed the lack of rest caused by stress- and not really helping her case here. Finally though, Cilghal pulled away and a sense of consternation emanated from her, giving the patient pause. "What is it?" Jaina sat up. "_Is_ there something wrong with me?"

For a long moment, the healer was quiet and contemplative. "Had there been a common or identifiable physical problem with you, your other doctors would have found it," she murmured. Then, almost hesitantly, she asked, "Jedi Fel- I wonder if, when you were pregnant with Leyla, you sought out and received appropriate medical care?"

Jaina started, and then looked mildly abashed. "No, Master; you know that I hid the pregnancy, going to the med bay aboard the _Ralroost_ to ask for a check-up may have blown the whistle a wee-bit." A flicker of amusement crossed the mon cal's face, but the concern did not vanish. "Why?"

"A hunch more than anything supported with substantive evidence," she admitted. "It's been far too long now to know for sure, but… Jaina, I think the reason you struggle to conceive with your husband goes back to those… tumultuous times."

Jaina frowned heavily. "That doesn't make any sense- Leyla was born healthy, the pregnancy went well, all-things considered; how could that have had any effect on trying to have _another_ baby?"

"Ah," Cilghal glanced downwards, huge eyes swiveling in their sockets. "You misunderstand; I refer not to the pregnancy, but rather to the… conception."

That certainly got Jaina's undivided attention. She stared at the healer for a minute, a look of dismay crossing her features, before she sighed, slumping forward exhaustedly. "Sometimes I forget about the… extreme measures… Kyp undertook."

And it was easy to forget; only five beings in the galaxy knew of the full story of Kyp's desperation, that he'd gone so far as to use the Force to persuade her body to conceive- and those beings were, of course, Kyp and Jaina, her husband Jag, and her uncle Luke and Cilghal, who had discovered the incident in the first place. The version that the rest of Jaina's family knew was damning- and accurate- enough; simply that, in the thralls of the dark side, obsessive, possessive and manipulative, Kyp had raped her, and that the ensuing pregnancy had been the unfortunate but unforeseen consequence.

It was a very good thing that Kyp hadn't relapsed to the dark side again during the intervening twelve years.

"Yes, well," Cilghal frowned, "there's something… I may even be imagining it…"

"Unlikely."

"… but I'm sorry to tell you that my instinct is that Master Durron did damage where he never intended- not damage visible to your ordinary doctors… but something living and changing within you, something responding to the Force but not to simple medical instruments."

Jaina unconsciously wrapped her arms around her body protectively, growing uncomfortable. Of course, raping Jaina had not been a good strategy to winning back her affections, and Kyp had known that; so he'd knocked her unconscious first, raped her then… and her uncle postulated that Kyp intended on returning to see her once more, when he was confident that she was, in fact, pregnant, and seducing her.

Things had never progressed that far- the deed had been discovered when her body had rebelled against the subtle manipulations, it had become evident to her in the next two or three weeks that she _was_ pregnant, and she'd run away to put as much distance between herself and the newly-captured and quasi-imprisoned Kyp, and only her uncle had been aware of the full reasons for her disappearance; she'd never even told Cilghal that she was pregnant.

"Living and changing?" Jaina asked, lips pursed in slight disgust. "What does that mean? Clearly Kyp didn't render me _unable_ to bear children, or else I wouldn't have had Leyla in the first place."

Cilghal spread her hands wide. "Simply put, I think it means that the attack on you twelve years ago was impulsive, emotional, lacked control… and, as a result, your body is temperamental even now. Physically, you're fine, and with some effort, I think we _should_ be able to overcome the problem, but…"

"But?"

The healer remained silent for a moment, thinking and subdued. "The problem, Jaina, is that your uncle- in the attempt to protect your secret- never made Master Durron answer for what he did to you, never wanted him to suspect that he _had_ been successful; and by the time anyone _else_ knew, he had returned from the edge of the dark side, you had forgiven him, and I dare venture a guess that the surprise of Leyla's existence drove the issue out of people's minds fairly quickly?"

Jaina flushed and nodded. It was true; her parents, brother, and aunt had of course been angry and alarmed when Jaina confessed the truth of Leyla's parentage, and how it came to happen. But the thrill of a new addition to the family, at a time when war was just ending…

Kyp had pretty well gotten off the hook. And now, with Leyla nearing twelve years old, Kyp was long-forgiven and on good terms with his daughter and with Jaina and Jag.

"Well," Cilghal continued, "I should have liked the opportunity to learn from him exactly what he did that enabled you to conceive a child while on a medication that should have made the idea preposterous."

Jaina winced. "And you want to ask him now?"

Her head moved back and forth in a gesture of uncertainty. "It is, understandably, an uncomfortable subject for you and your husband- and for Kyp- and there is the possibility that he won't even be able to tell me very clearly or certainly. It's been more than a decade; he wasn't truly himself at the time. _But_…" she trailed away, glancing once at the floor. "Even if he cannot in detail explain… he might be able to… undo the damage."

Jaina stared at her blankly. "Undo it?"

"If there are lingering effects of his attack, they will have left resonances in the Force, resonances that will be more clearly followed by the one who… caused them."

She put her head in her hands and laughed mirthlessly. "Great. You know, Master Cilghal… all told, I've had incredible luck stemming from a horrible situation. I was able to hide Leyla when it mattered, Jag's always treated her like his own, Kyp's never resented him for it, Jag and Kyp get along great, actually, and now Kyp and Leyla have the kind of relationship that I think he always wanted with her. So it really figures that _this_ would be the thing that finally drives a wedge in to all of that…"

"You think your husband will not be so forgiving anymore?"

She sighed. "I think he's been bothered and stressed for four years, worried and wondering why, at the age of eighteen, I was able to have Leyla just fine, but at the ripe old age of twenty-nine, I'm suddenly… infertile."

"You aren't…"

"I know," Jaina cut her off before smiling apologetically. "I know. But… it seems- likely- that Jag will funnel some of that frustration and stress into anger at Kyp. Rightfully so, perhaps," she admitted ruefully, "but I hate the thought of such a rift and what it would do to Leyla."

A long, mildly uncomfortable silence stretched between them before the healer spoke up in halting tones. "It is, of course, your choice how to proceed. And I can attempt to trace the source of the problem more thoroughly myself now, though there is really no way to gauge success save…"

"Me suddenly being pregnant," Jaina grinned. "Yeah." She sobered a little. "I understand; I guess that's just what we'll have to do for now. I can come back whenever," she added hastily. "But if that doesn't work… well, Leyla is leaving in a few weeks to spend a few months on Ossus, so…" she trailed away looking a little despondent, and Cilghal laid a flipper-like hand on her shoulder.

"I understand, Jaina. Why don't you come back tomorrow morning, and that will give me a little time to think about how best to proceed."

Jaina nodded and slid forward off the table. A thought occurred to her as she straightened her shirt and reached for her tunic. "Master Cilghal? Why don't we just have Kyp come along tomorrow morning, if he's free? Then you can perhaps gain a little insight into how to proceed, and the chance of success would be greater…"

Cilghal looked skeptical- for a mon cal, anyway. "I thought you did not want to involve Master Durron yet."

"If it was just the once, Jag wouldn't need to know. I came to see you, problem solved, I'm pregnant, bam."

Her gravelly voice was low, tinged with worry perhaps. "If you are… comfortable with that, Jedi Fel; I will not deny that consulting with Master Durron would be the most efficient way of determining how to help you and Ambassador Fel."

At the healer's cautious tone, Jaina hesitated slightly, but said, "I'll talk to Kyp tonight; either way, I'll be back tomorrow, Master."

**End Prologue**

**A/N**: *sigh* Silly Jaina… there's ALWAYS drama…

Anyway, I hope you'll follow along! Cheers!


	2. Part 1

**A/N**: Aaaaand… on with the story!

**Part I**

He had already been on his way back to his apartment building when she'd commed twenty minutes ago to say she was coming over. Mildly confused- she hadn't offered a reason, and hadn't mentioned Leyla- he admitted her into the small suite just minutes after he arrived, before he even got around to removing his cloak and boots.

She smiled tightly as she walked into the apartment, looking idly around as she removed her cloak and draped it over a chair, not offering a verbal greeting and, in fact, generally avoiding looking in his general direction. Once he too had removed his cloak, he leaned against a wall and crossed his arms over his chest, staring and smiling bemusedly down at her.

"Something I can do for you, Jaina?"

Starting slightly, she turned and opened her mouth a few times before exhaling loudly. "Do you want to sit? Get a drink maybe?"

His lips quirked even more. "Jaina, this is my place; I think _I'm_ the one who's supposed to offer refreshments."

"Right," she went pink. "Well I'll just go sit in here then. You can come sit with me, if you like, or you can stand there, it doesn't much matter…"

Brow furrowed in confusion at her nervous behavior, Kyp followed her into the living room where she sat heavily on the couch, her legs curled up under her body as she leaned against the arm. He chose to remain standing, frowning lightly at the young woman who he saw several times a week and never behaved so oddly. "What's wrong?" he asked slowly. "Is this about Leyla?"

She finally met his gaze. "No… well, sort of I guess, in a roundabout way…" she sighed. "I didn't really think this would be so awkward…"

"That _what_ would be-?"

"Kyp, I need your help. But I don't want Jag to know, not yet anyway."

The frown deepened. "Help with what? And why can't Jag know?"

"Because he'll be mad when I tell him _why_ I need your help."

For a long minute, Kyp stared impassively at the less-than-forthcoming woman curled up on his sofa. "Again- help with what?"

Her soft brown eyes met his quizzical green ones. When she spoke, her voice was soft but firm and even. "Jag and I have been trying to have a baby for four years now- and we just _can't_. And I think- _Cilghal_ thinks- that it's your fault."

He blinked a few times, face blank. First, he looked confused, and then a shadow passed over his face and his brows contracted in anxiety.

"You want that drink now?" she asked. He nodded dumbly, but didn't move. "You want to sit down?"

"Yeah."

Five minutes later, two small tumblers of Corellian brandy in their hands, Kyp joined Jaina on the couch, sitting at the far end and alternating his look between the opposite wall and his drink, never casting his eyes in her direction. "So…" he mumbled. "You told Cilghal about…?"

"Kyp, she's known since the day after it happened. She's the one who figured everything out." He looked up at her in honest surprise. "Kyp," she said hesitantly, "did… did my uncle ever tell you _how_ I knew that you'd…" she trailed away, suddenly claustrophobic and uncomfortable, addressing these years-old issues openly for the first time since they'd told him about Leyla, and even then, it was a highly-emotional and unfinished conversation.

"I raped you, Jaina," he put in tonelessly. "You can say it, you know." A flash of annoyance shot through her, but she suppressed it. "And… no, I guess not," he frowned. "Just that you knew when you… forgave me."

She nodded, realizing with a sudden jolt that he would have had no way of knowing how his efforts had affected her, how she'd been put in the med bay the next day while Cilghal figured out what was wrong. "Well… Kyp… I was sick the next day because of the way you forced me unconscious. My parents had a hard time waking me, and then I passed out while trying to er… tell the Council that you had been in my parents' cabin." Her smile was rueful, but he didn't seem to notice, just stared blankly down at his drink. "And while I was in the med bay, Cilghal noticed that my body was reacting oddly to the, ah… hormone inhibitor treatment that I was on."

At that, he shot her a look, face going slightly more pale than it already was. "I… I don't think I ever even thought about that…" he admitted.

"And you wouldn't have," she replied wryly, "you _obviously_ didn't know I was seeing Jag at the time." He went slightly red. "But the point is, she followed the reaction to its obvious conclusion that you had… _done_ something to me, something that went against the drug's intended purpose, and from there…" she shrugged, almost apologetically. "The first thing she asked when I was awake was whether I had been with Jag recently. When I said no… there was only one plausible explanation."

"Me," he said hoarsely. He sighed bitterly and took a short sip of his drink. "I knew there would be retribution further down the line for everything; it was just too easy, you forgiving me, me meeting Leyla…"

She pursed her lips. "I'm not looking for 'retribution,'" she countered. "But… Cilghal did whatever it is that Cilghal does today, trying to figure out why, with nothing medically wrong with either of us, Jag and I can't seem to have a baby together and… she thinks there's a connection."

"Why don't you want Jag to know?"

Her eyes darted away that time. "He, ah… I think it's taking a toll on him in some ways. He feels bad, because it was _his_ idea to have another child, and it's been such a source of stress for us ever since; and he hides it well, but I think a part of him feels a little… bitter," she winced, "that, tricks or no tricks, _you_ and I managed to create something as wonderful as Leyla, and _he _and I can't even ah… get the process rolling, as it were."

"And that bitterness will only multiply ten-fold when he realizes that it's been my fault all this time," Kyp surmised. Jaina nodded sadly. With a heavy sigh, running a hand wearily across his brow, Kyp turned to face her. "Alright- what exactly is it that you need me to do?"

X-X-X-X

"This isn't working." Jaina sighed and sat up, propping herself on her elbows. "I'm sorry, Master, I'm not blocking you on purpose here…"

The mon cal healer sighed and backed away from the bed. "I know," her voice was low and gravelly. "I suspected that such might be the case before I came in here, but I thought I'd try…" she turned and rolled her eyes around to where the small chadra-fan female stood by a couple of monitors across the room, politely disinterested in the bizarre goings-on in the room. "Tekli," Cilghal addressed her former apprentice, "can you bring Master Durron in here?"

If the meter-high chadra-fan found the request odd in any way, she did not show it. With a quick consenting nod from Jaina, she disappeared, but Jaina turned to Cilghal, mildly confused, once she was gone. "I don't think Kyp's out there anymore," she pointed out slowly. Cilghal blinked down at her in surprise, and moments later the Jedi Master in question slipped through the door behind the assistant healer, eyes slightly averted and looking even more discomfited than he had in his apartment the night prior. "You've been shielding yourself from me," Jaina accused.

He shrugged, looking guilty and red. "It hardly seemed like the time that you needed to feel my own emotions on top of the stress you're undoubtedly already under…"

She waved him off irritably. "Yeah, whatever. Just stop worrying about it, you're being ridiculous."

Cilghal watched the exchange quietly before stepping in when Kyp pursed his lips and looked down at the ground. "Master Durron, you said you would be willing to remain to assist however possible…?" he nodded, ignoring the eye-roll from Jaina. "Well, from what you told me an hour ago and from our… difficulties in here since then, I'm beginning to have suspicions about the nature of the problem." Jaina sat up more at that, and Kyp nodded jerkily. With a look at Tekli, the assistant ducked quietly out of the room as Cilghal faced the two Jedi seriously.

"Kyp," she said quietly, "I don't think your actions had a damaging effect on Jaina's body," he looked slightly relieved but still tense as she continued. "What I _do_ think happened, however…" she turned towards the young woman, a bit consolingly perhaps, "is that you inadvertently… imprinted yourself."

A full minute of silence greeted that. Jaina's brow quirked in confusion as Kyp's whole body seemed to shudder in distaste. "Imprinted," he repeated dully. "You're saying I… what? Left traces of my manipulations?"

"More than that," Cilghal sat down and considered him. "Your invasion of Jaina's body was fueled by obsession and jealousy, by your own admission; it was important to you that- I'm sorry- that she _belong_ to you, and those emotions emerged in your actions in ways that I doubt you ever intended or foresaw. It wasn't your goal that Jaina become _pregnant_," she emphasized, shifting her gaze briefly to the wide-eyed woman in question, "it was important that she become pregnant with _your_ child."

A stunned and appropriately horrified silence greeted this assessment as the implications began to sink in. Then, Jaina spoke up slowly and carefully. "So… Master, you're saying that- all this time- I haven't been able to conceive another child because… I'm trying to with _Jag_ and not Kyp?"

Kyp groaned and put his head in his hands. "That is my theory," Cilghal returned evenly. "Such as it is… these are entirely uncharted waters."

For a long minute, Jaina just stared, unblinking gaze shifting between the healer and the remorseful man sitting heavily across from her. Then, she just started laughing, and the other occupants of the room looked at her in surprise and mild concern. "I'm sorry," she gasped, "but that's just… some sort of poetic justice, isn't it?" she wiped at her eyes.

"It isn't funny," Kyp snapped, appalled at her reaction.

"I know!" she tried to calm her shaking shoulders. "I'm sorry, I know. I just can't believe… after all this time… I never once…" she stopped laughing and sobered dramatically, shaking her head ruefully. "You'll be able to do something about it, right?" she asked Cilghal.

"No." Jaina's head whipped around, all lingering traces of amusement vanishing instantly from her face. "The same obsession and jealousy… there are unconscious defenses preventing me from even attempting to counteract the issue, defenses that share a mingled signature of _both_ of you," she shifted her eyes between the two of them. "There's nothing I can do," she repeated. "But you, Master Durron, created those defenses, even if advertently- it is my strong suspicion that you can bypass them and… undo your actions of twelve years ago."

Kyp was pale as he glanced guiltily at Jaina once before staring resolutely at his feet. "I… I barely remember anything about that night," he whispered hoarsely. "It's like a half-forgotten dream, the entirety of my time under the dark side is… just one, long nightmare that I can catch glimpses of but can't piece fully back together…"

"On the whole, I think it matters not," Cilghal murmured, clearly affected by the guilt and self-loathing roiling from Kyp and making Jaina wince. "The lingering signature of your presence… you will be able to follow it, to understand it in a way that I can't, and I think you alone can remedy this situation for Jaina and her husband."

Jaina closed her eyes briefly before swinging herself down from the bed and taking a careful step forward to place a hand on Kyp's shoulder. "I wish there had been another way, Kyp," she murmured. "I'm sor-"

"Don't," he said, voice hard. "Don't you dare tell me that you're sorry; you did the same thing eleven years ago when I first saw you again after you, Jag, and Zekk captured me, and I can't stand it; at some point, you have to make me take responsibility for my own failings…"

"Then do it!" she hissed. "Take responsibility! You caused a problem, you fix it."

"It isn't that simple!" he stood suddenly, making Jaina back up in surprise at his earnest distress. "What I did… it was utterly dark, spurred by selfishness, desire, anger, jealousy, fear… and you want me to go back, try to put myself in the same mindset, understand what I did while under the sway of darkness in order to reverse the effects… and I'm _afraid_, Jaina. Afraid of tasting darkness again, of forcing myself to remember what I was…"

He trailed away as she stared at him in a cold fury, Cilghal entirely forgotten as the two locked eyes. "Try this on for selfishness," she said in a dangerously soft voice. "What _I _want is to be able to have a baby with my _husband_ who, I might point out, has been raising _your_ child for more than eleven years with no complaint. And after four years of frustration and wondering why that can't seem to happen, I finally have an answer and a solution in my grasp- and you're trying to pull that out from under me." Kyp opened his mouth to argue, but she kept going. "I've asked _nothing_ of you in all of this time, allowed you to step back from your relationship with Leyla for five years, agreed to stand idly by and trust you while you attacked Jedi and committed treason when she was in trouble, watched for the past four years while you felt out a comfortable relationship with your daughter… that's all fine. That's what I knew I was going to get when I decided first to hide Leyla from you and then to bring you into her life.

"But _now_," her voice shook and her eyes were red. "Now, I need something from you. Jag and I have always put Leyla first, put aside any grievances we might have had with you for her sake, knowing that the past can't change, that we can only learn from our mistakes. But _this_, Kyp- this you can change, this you can fix, and you'd be doing it for me, not for yourself, so I don't think you're afraid of touching darkness again at all, I think you're just _afraid_, period." With a heavy sigh and obvious effort, she wrenched her eyes from the stricken Master and turned to Cilghal. "Master Cilghal, I apologize; you were hesitant yesterday about bringing Master Durron here so soon, and I should have paid closer attention to that. As it stands though, clearly neither of us is in a position to proceed any further today, I am truly sorry for wasting your time. Masters," she jerked her head in acknowledgement, grabbed her cloak from the end of the bed, and slipped out of the room before another word could be uttered.


	3. Part 2

**Part II**

Jaina was toweling off her wet hair and stepping out of the bedroom when the door of the apartment opened and a wearied Jag stepped through. He immediately crossed to the living room and hugged her before sitting down on the sofa and pulling her down onto his lap.

"Good afternoon to you too," she murmured, grinning slyly as he ducked his head down to kiss her quickly but firmly. "Long day?"

"You have no idea," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, his other arm wrapped tightly around her waist as she settled back against him comfortably.

"Same problems?"

He shrugged. "As always; I never should have accepted this promotion last year."

With a soft smile, she twisted around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You couldn't have said no even if you wanted to," she teased. "It's in your nature to do as asked; to do otherwise would violate that firm sense of duty of yours. Besides," she ran her fingers lightly through his hair, making him close his eyes at the calming sensation, "_Ambassador_ has such a nicer ring to it than _envoy_."

"And with it, many more responsibilities."

"You could always quit and officially defect to the Galactic Alliance."

"Don't think I haven't considered it."

For a moment, the two just stared at each other ruefully. Then she laughed lightly and leaned in against him, head tucked in the crook of his neck as his hand came up to rub her back and trace random patterns against her tunic. "Quite the stir you'd cause, wouldn't you?"

He stiffened minutely, though she didn't think it was due to her words. "My father joined the Chiss because he felt they represented an admirable example of duty, honor, loyalty… I've served with them, led them, represented them to others for the same reason. Now though…" he trailed away unsurely. "Now, the Ascendancy is fracturing, and the Ruling Families are hard-put to keep it together. The sense of order that is so important to my people is disintegrating, and I am close to losing too much respect for the governing parties of the Ascendancy- a dangerous situation for an ambassador, especially for one to the most powerful political body in the galaxy. But you know all of this already," he grinned wryly and years seemed to come off of his face.

"I do," she acknowledged somberly. "And you know that I think you should always do what you feel is right; and if that means resigning your post…"

"It hasn't come to that," he assured her. "Not yet. This conflict will be resolved sooner or later, and the traditionalists will be forced to come to terms with a changing galaxy; it is the only way the Ascendancy will survive. If they keep pushing…" a shadow crossed his face and she covered his hand with hers, concern etched on her features.

"You don't think it would come to a civil war?"

He shook his head quickly. "No, that is not the way of the Chiss people. But a non-violent conflict can be just as damaging and debilitating as a violent one. But," his eyes twinkled as he ran a hand across her cheek in a soft caress, "you know that already too. Now," he leaned in for another fast kiss, "how was your day? Stressful happenings at the temple?"

She blinked once in surprise. "Nothing important," she returned evenly. "Just the usual debate among the Masters. Uncle Luke is going to have to do something soon to bring the Jedi more firmly together; he hardly spends any time on Ossus anymore because he's so busy wrangling the Council here on Coruscant. But things are fairly relaxed, for the Jedi."

For a long moment, he studied her face, and his hands came to rest on her shoulders, gently massaging while her eyes drifted shut and she sighed. "You seem tense."

"You should feel how tense _you_ are in the Force," she shot back playfully before groaning as he kneaded against a knot of jumbled muscles.

"Maybe we should relieve some of this collective tension," Jag offered reasonably.

Her brows quirked and her grin was sly. "Suggestions?"

He opened his mouth, but another voice beat him to the punch. "Dad, you're home! Oh…" Leyla stopped walking two steps out of her bedroom and eyed them suspiciously, Jaina still sitting in Jag's lap on the sofa. "Interrupting something?"

"Rain check," Jaina hissed as she slid off of her husband's lap. His face fell exaggeratedly and comically, but his eyes carried a bit of lingering desire that always made Jaina's stomach twist up into anticipatory knots. "No, honey," she smiled at the eleven-year-old girl. "You finished with your schoolwork?"

"Yes," Leyla scowled. "I got extra work too, because I'm going to miss a few weeks of scheduled lessons when I go to Ossus."

Jag stood and headed for the kitchen. "Better to fit it in gradually than make you do it all at once when you get back," he called over his shoulder. "Or worse- you could have your schoolwork _while_ you're on Ossus, trying to juggle your studies and your Jedi training all at once."

Leyla's mouth quirked in a remarkably Jaina-like expression. "I knew you were going to say that."

"Dad is the practical one, after all," Jaina teased. "He never really _had_ a childhood, he doesn't understand things like skiving out on lessons, procrastinating work 'til the very last minute… now your Uncle Jacen on the other hand…" she grinned and Jag just shook his head.

"Is that why we live here and not with the Chiss?" Leyla asked, eyes sparkling in amusement.

Jaina's heart dropped a bit when a dark look crossed Jag's eyes, and she suspected he was thinking about his own family as he was brought up in the harsh society. No adolescence to speak of, straight to difficult work… and he had lost three of his four siblings at relatively young ages. When he turned to his adopted daughter, however, all traces of bitterness were gone as he smiled ruefully. "Just one of many reasons, hon. I would _hate_ to deprive Jacen of the chance to corrupt you to the fullest before you run off and abandon us for the academy."

"I'm not _abandoning_ you," she huffed. "I'm just going for a few months. Uncle Luke says it's very important to get an early start on learning control of the Force," she recited, and Jag's mouth quirked as she quoted Luke almost verbatim. "That way, when I go back next year, I'll be ready to _really_ start training."

In truth, it worried Luke that Leyla was _too_ strong in the Force for her own good. With Jaina's and Kyp's blood flowing in her veins, she had well above the average Force-potential, and he did not want her to be too old before she started to grasp the basics of containing her emotions and her powers. She had already demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for fast learning, and her biological father had been a prime example of pushing Jedi-education too far, too fast.

Leyla, of course, didn't know that, and Jaina wasn't concerned. Her daughter was level-headed, smart, kind… even the experience of being kidnapped and held for two months with a host of dark Force-users had not had a lasting effect on her emotions, she was not bitter or angry. In fact, as far as Jaina and Jag could tell, she rarely even gave thought to the experience of four years prior, and the only time it was even vaguely mentioned to her was when anyone mentioned one of the two young apprentices who had been rescued and rehabilitated from the clutches of the self-fashioned 'Lord' Wrynn. Tahlia was about Jaina's age, and had been dating Zekk since Leyla's rescue; the two of them worked as a team, going on missions, some more secret than others, but they always stopped by to say hello when they were on Coruscant.

The other apprentice was still on Ossus, a young man of about twenty-three named Vulcor. He had largely served as Leyla's caretaker during her quasi-imprisonment and the two had bonded somewhat. Vulcor had not shared some of the more hardened philosophies of his master and the other apprentices, and he had eagerly accepted the opportunity to study on Ossus. Now, four years later, he was part-instructor, part-overseer of some of the younger students who required an extra set of eyes to keep out of trouble and to take care of themselves.

"Well," Jaina accepted a cup of spiced tea from Jag, "abandonment or no, we'll miss you very much."

"Yeah," Leyla looked down and shuffled her feet, embarrassed, "well I'll miss you too I guess…"

Jaina just grinned at her pretty young daughter, her dark hair pulled back in a simple braid, her eyes, the soft brown of Jaina's but the shape and size of Kyp's, looking between Jaina and Jag… and she wondered then what a half-sibling would look like, whether they would inherit Jag's black hair rather than Kyp's dark brown, whether he or she would have Jag's pale green eyes instead of her brandy brown ones. And then she wondered if she'd ever get the chance to find out.

"Sweetheart?" her head shot up and Jag was peering at her in concern. "You alright?"

Forcing a smile, she gave him a peck on the cheek. "Just tired, I guess. Think you can figure out something for dinner?" she gestured towards the synthesizer unit. "I think I'll go lie down for a few minutes."

He nodded, a light frown gracing his serious face, and she retreated into the other room before he could further investigate the source of her despondence.

X-X-X-X

In retrospect, she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised when Kyp turned up outside the apartment the next day, hair disheveled as though he had run a nervous hand through it a few hundred times too many. His eyes were contracted in a nervous, guilty expression, and he hesitantly raised them to meet her gaze when she opened the door.

"Hi."

"Hey." For a moment they stood like that, her leaning against the door frame, lips pursed and arms crossed over her chest. Finally, she sighed. "Come in."

He did. "Is Jag home?"

She rolled her eyes as she sat down on the sofa; he gingerly lowered himself into a chair, as though expecting it to be booby-trapped. "You know very well that he isn't, you wouldn't have come otherwise." He said nothing, just let out a tired breath, and she closed her eyes in frustration, willing herself to remain more level-headed than she had the prior morning. "Leyla won't be through with lessons for a few hours, Kyp, we're alone; what is it?"

"I… when you ran off yesterday…" he sighed and closed his eyes. "Shavit," he muttered. "You were right; I _am_ afraid, Jaina. Not afraid of relapsing to the dark side, just afraid of the reminder of what kind of monster I was twelve years ago. No," he held up a hand to stop her protest, "hear me out. You recognized the dangerous path I was skirting even before you apprenticed with me…" they both went slightly pink as they remembered that 'apprenticed' was hardly the most relevant term to describe their relationship at the time. "But I ignored you, thought that you'd understand, thought you'd see my side of things _after_ I got what I wanted from you and Kre'fey, and Antilles… and then when you left, it hurt. I don't blame you, of course, but it hurt as much as my brother's death.

"The only thing that hurt _more_," he continued, voice hoarse with emotion, "was when I finally was able to realize just how much I had hurt _you_, and I'm not just talking about the night I snuck aboard the _Mon Mothma_. I finally saw how cruel my actions had been, when I forced you to be a part of something so dark, and the knowledge that I had destroyed a part of your innocence in doing so…" he shuddered slightly, ran a hand through his tousled, graying hair. "What you have to understand, Jaina," he implored, voice pleading, "is that, through everything, no matter how delusional I became, no matter how far I descended into darkness… you were the one constant. I always cared for you, loved you even… and the reminder of how I twisted that love around to hurt you… it scares me to face it. And I want to help you, I _will_ help you," he insisted. "I just… needed some time to brace myself for the prospect of facing down these memories. You can understand that, can't you?"

By the time he finished speaking, her expression had softened and her eyes were sad. "Of course I understand, Kyp," she said quietly, hands twisting in her lap. "And I shouldn't have allowed myself to give in to frustration so quickly and easily yesterday. I just…" she shrugged helplessly. "We really are a mess, aren't we?"

He let out a strangled laugh that nevertheless served to ease some of the tension between them. "Yeah, I reckon so."

Hesitating a moment, she stood and crossed to the chair where he sat, placing a careful hand on his shoulder and murmuring softly. "We can't escape what we've done, what we've been," she said lowly, "but we can move on, we can forgive, we can heal… you've been forgiven, you've moved on and healed, you've redeemed yourself a hundred-fold in the last decade. Now I just need you to do this one thing for me, Kyp. Otherwise… it's just not fair to Jag," she finished softly, blinking back unshed tears.

"I know," he whispered hoarsely. "So go lie down."

She blinked. "What?"

"We're going to do this now," he muttered, "before I lose my nerve."

"But… Cilghal…"

"Has admitted that she cannot help in this," he finished for her smoothly. "If you'd rather, we can go back to the temple, but…" he shrugged. "There will be exactly one measure of success, and that certainly won't be determinable until a good bit later," his mouth quirked wryly and she shook her head ruefully. "And if it doesn't work the first time, we'll try again in a few months."

Feeling suddenly and inexplicably apprehensive, Jaina walked numbly back to the sofa and settled down on it, hands folded unconsciously over her stomach. This was what she had wanted when she'd stormed out on Cilghal and Kyp yesterday, had wanted him to try to reverse the unintended consequences of his invasion of some twelve years ago, but now… now that the prospect of having him reaching out, manipulating her body _again_... it made her nervous.

"I was unconscious before," she blurted out as he slowly stood and approached. "Should I… go into a trance or something…?"

"No!" he said quickly and a little harshly. "Sorry," he reddened. "But no, I… that would be a little _too_ much like before, if you understand me. I want you fully conscious and aware of what's happening, at least… on the surface."

A sudden wave of confused pain washed over her and she bit back a sob, pressing a hand to her mouth and sitting up, drawing her legs in and curling around to face the back of the sofa. "I'm sorry," she sniffed, voice breaking, "I didn't mean… it's just…" tears were flowing down her cheeks now, and Kyp stood paralyzed and stricken, unsure of what to do, much less of what was wrong. "We never talked about this!" she finally cried. "I forgave you, urged you to forgive yourself for Leyla's sake, and twelve years later, it's almost like it never happened…"

"I've never forgotten," he whispered. "The memory of the darkness is what keeps me away from it."

Her head was still turned towards the back of the sofa, her words muffled as she murmured evenly, trying to keep the emotion from her voice. "When Uncle Luke told me that you had raped me, I laughed," she admitted. "I told him it was ridiculous, that you weren't cruel like that… and it was true, you weren't, you never meant it as a cruelty, you never even meant me to _know_, did you?"

"I don't know," he choked. "I… don't know how I planned to justify it to you later…"

"Uncle Luke figured you planned to return soon after, when it would be too soon for _me_ to know I was pregnant…"

"But _I_ would know, I'd be looking for it," he deadpanned, turning away in self-loathing. "Yes, I remember now."

She gasped a heaving breath. "And then… it was so surreal," she whispered. "I had no memory of it, you were already captured, and suddenly, there was this life growing, this flicker that I had dreaded for two or three weeks, but when I finally sensed it, all I felt was protective, knew I had to leave… and by disappearing, I managed to avoid _ever_ talking about it, to you or anyone else. Even to Jag…" she trailed away and turned her face from the cushion, wiping at wet eyes. "And then I had Leyla, and hating you was like an insult to her, and part of me just wished that she was Jag's, or that things between us had been different, that she had been conceived out of love, not out of a dark obsession…"

Kyp spoke softly, voice thick with emotion. "You see why I can barely stand the thought of putting myself back in that time then," he looked away from her. "I'm sorry, Jaina; I'm so sorry, and I wish there was more that I could say, that I could _do_… but I want to do what I can for you, whenever you're ready, wherever and however you want to do it… I thought now was good, but I've only managed to make things worse by just showing up here, haven't I?"

She shook her head fiercely and reached for his hand, surprising him as he met her red eyes. "No, Kyp… not worse. This just… it's been twelve years, some time or other, we were going to have to do this, weren't we? I'm _not_ mad, I forgave you years ago, you've proven yourself time and again ever since, it's just… the frustration of having it all brought back to light completely out of nowhere…" she angrily brushed aside remaining tears on her cheeks before pulling on his hand, urging him to sit down on the couch next to her. He did so, stiffly at first and tense as she leaned against him before draping an awkward comforting arm across her shoulders. "You've more than made up for your transgressions in the past," she whispered. "And you're a wonderful father to Leyla; please don't forget those things just because I got a little worked up today."

That earned a small chuckle, and his arm tightened around her shoulders. For a few minutes, they sat like that, side by side but with her head leaning against his side as she calmed herself and slowed her breathing. "Do you want me to go?" he finally asked. "I could come back later this week; or we could go to the temple…"

"No," she insisted. "You displayed a great deal of courage in coming here to face me today after I yelled at you yesterday. The least I can do is make your trip worthwhile."

"You realize I came from like, a kilometer away, right?"

"Shut it, you," she dug an elbow into his side. "Now come on… let's see what we can do about getting me pregnant," she grinned.

He blinked. "Oh- _that's_ what you meant by worthwhile…"

"Kyp Durron!" she hit him playfully in the stomach and he laughed, a long-absent twinkle returning to his eye.


	4. Part 3

**A/N: **_**Future ADA**_- thanks for reviewing ;-) And something to keep your interest peaked, perhaps… your review regarding part I was instrumental in writing the end of the epilogue… I was sitting on it for a couple of days, endings are so tricky… but well done, you inspired me. :-D

And on we go!

**Part III**

"Kyp's coming!" Leyla hollered from her bedroom, and Jaina just shook her head at the girl's excitement. For two weeks, she'd talked of nothing besides the impending twelve weeks that she was to spend at the Jedi academy. She went on about her excitement to begin learning about the Force, and the prospect of seeing her year-older second cousin, Ben Skywalker, her Aunt Mara, and Vulcor… and Luke was to return _eventually_ to Ossus- he kept postponing the journey due to problems on Coruscant and elsewhere in the galaxy.

All in all though, Jaina simply suspected that Leyla was excited about the change of scenery from the durocrete jungles of Coruscant to the forests of the academy- not to mention, the excitement of leaving her classes and tutors behind to study what she perceived to be more interesting things elsewhere.

Come to think of it… Jaina and her twin had been much the same way when they were around her age and preparing to go to the academy themselves. She only hoped that now, some fifteen years later, there would be less danger, fewer adventures than had found her and Jacen. Then again, one of their first adventures had been being kidnapped by dark Jedi, and Leyla had already dealt with that, Jaina thought with a pang.

"Are you all packed?" Jag came striding in from the bedroom, clasping his cloak around his work uniform, a military-like ensemble that was similar to his former colonel's garb, but only bore insignia of the Ascendancy and the Fel house, rather than a Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet rank. Leyla called back a quick affirmative, and she could be heard clasping her bags closed.

Jaina's attention was fixed on her husband though. "You're going to work?" she asked dejectedly.

He met her eyes guiltily. "I just got a message," he murmured. "Some sort of emergency situation… I told them I'd come after we saw the shuttle off."

She sighed, not entirely surprised. Ever since the discontent in the Ascendancy had begun to spread- not long after Jag had assumed his new post, to be honest- Jag was summoned alternately by the people of his embassy to look over some new situation, or by concerned officials of governments allied with the Chiss who demanded to know the intentions of the Ascendancy towards their various alliances around the galaxy.

Quite simply, the Ascendancy was fracturing along lines that pitted traditionalists- those who desired to remain isolationist and arrogant, tucked away in their little corner of the galaxy- and reformists, who viewed integration as the path to success and survival, who saw the Yuuzhan Vong war as a prime example of the devastation that could be wrought by a galaxy that was not united and strong. The fact was though, now that reconstruction was largely over and done with, a number of traditionalists desired that the Chiss withdraw from the Galactic Alliance, loosen their treaty with the Imperial Remnant, and sit idly by once more to watch the rest of the galaxy move forward.

And the strongest of these arguments had come remarkably shortly after Jag had assumed the role of ambassador to the GA- making Jaina wonder just how much of it all had to do with the Fel family's presence and standing in the Ascendancy. Surely, one of the gripes of the traditionalists might have some part to do with the further rise to power of the only notable human family within the Ascendancy.

It was a troubling line of thought, but not one that she could really afford to pay much attention to right now; in just a few minutes, Kyp would be arriving and then the four of them would be journeying to the hangar at the Jedi temple, and Kyp was going to depart with Leyla, to take her to Ossus and settle her in. Jaina hated to be staying behind, but she and Jag had decided weeks ago that, first of all, it would be a good bonding experience for Kyp and Leyla, and second of all, not having Jaina and Jag hovering would help Leyla develop the independence she would need when she returned to study on Ossus full time in another year or two.

The chime sounded, indicating the arrival of a visitor. Leyla was out of her room like a shot and slapping the release pad on the door, not even needing to double check to see who stood out in the corridor. "Daddy!" she exclaimed, hugging Kyp tightly before dashing back to her room, leaving a startled Jedi Master standing in the doorway.

Jaina and Jag exchanged wry smiles; sometime in the past couple of years, Jag had become 'dad' and Kyp had remained 'daddy'- but whenever Leyla was referring to Kyp while conversing with Jaina and Jag, she always used his first name, which was how she had known him until she was seven years old anyway. Perhaps she simply didn't want to confuse the situation by referring to multiple 'dads,' and it never bothered any of them that she called him 'Kyp'- after all, she'd only known for a few years that he was her father at all. Nevertheless, the system bemused them all to some small degree.

"How are you, Kyp?" Jag asked distractedly as he read through another message, frowning.

"Better than you, it seems," Kyp replied to the younger man. "The Chiss going at it again?"

Jag sighed. "Like a herd of starved gundarks on the scent of a bantha."

"Ouch." He turned his attention to Jaina. "And yourself, Mrs. Ambassador Fel?"

She rolled her eyes. "My baby is leaving me, my husband is called away to work… the abandonment is already setting in…"

"Mom, I am _not_ abandoning you!" Leyla trudged into the living room, travel case dragged behind her. "I'm just… going on vacation."

Jag snorted. "Vacation? What does an eleven-year-old need a vacation for? _I_ need a vacation!"

"Yes, you do," Jaina swept over and kissed him quickly while Leyla and Kyp exchanged identical looks of faux-disgust at the sappy display. "So sort out these important officials who bicker like small children and take some time off to sweep me off my feet," she grinned. "You know, with Leyla abandoning us and all, we could have a couple nice, romantic getaways…"

"Mom! Ew, I don't want to hear about that. And I am _not_ abandoning you!"

They all chuckled as Kyp reached over to snag Leyla's bag. "Come on then," he ordered. "Let's get going, we wouldn't want to deprive your parents of any nice time together, now would we?" he stage-whispered while leaning conspiratorially next to Leyla. Once, his eyes darted mischievously to Jaina's, and she just shook her head ruefully and followed him out the door.

X-X-X-X

Jag returned home late that night, and Jaina emerged from the bedroom, blinking sleep from her eyes, to find him sitting on the sofa, elbows propped on his knees, head resting in his hands. He looked up though when he heard her soft steps and smiled lightly. "Come here," he murmured, sitting upright and reaching out to place his hands on her waist. Wordlessly, he guided her down to straddle his lap, skimming his hands briefly over the bared flesh of her legs as her nightshirt rode up.

"Late night?" she whispered.

He didn't respond; instead, he brought his hands up to cup her face and, holding back only a moment to study her features, he leaned in and captured her lips in a searing kiss that was equal parts love and desperation. She kissed him back whole-heartedly, but a nervousness was creeping into her mind, and she wondered what had happened to put him in such a mood.

When the kiss ended, Jag did not pull away. He wrapped arms tightly around her and she leaned in to snuggle against his chest, waiting for him to break his news in his own time, his own way. And for a long time, they sat like that, his hand tracing patterns absently against the thin material of her nightshirt, her listening to the sound of his heart beating against her ear.

"I love you," he murmured, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

"I know."

His arms tightened around her, and he seemed to brace himself before taking a deep breath. "I've been recalled to the Ascendancy- to Csilla."

It was like a kick to the gut. "Why?"

"I don't know. Officially, to discuss the evolving political situation in parliament with the Aristocras of the Ruling Families and military leaders. In actuality…" he hesitated. "I don't know," he repeated.

"For how long?"

"I don't know."

"Are you being replaced as ambassador?"

"I don't know."

"Did they tell you anything?" she allowed a bit of frustration to creep into her voice; it was nothing to the frustration pouring off of Jag in waves.

He sighed. "Not really."

"Can I come with you?"

That time, she sensed a deep conflict, and she knew that he'd been battling with this response all day, knew that he'd been waiting for the question from the moment he had been informed that he was to return to the planet where his parents lived. "I'd like you to."

"But?"

"I… too much is uncertain. The divide among the Chiss people… I want to get the lay of the land before I bring you into the mess that has become the Ascendancy. Between the growing anti-Galactic Alliance sentiment, and the suspicion with which many of them view the Jedi…" he shook his head apologetically. "Until I know that you'd be safe, I would prefer that you remain here."

Her voice was practically a whisper. "I can take care of myself."

"I know," he sighed. "But if something were to happen… if Leyla needed us… we can't both be embroiled in conflict in the Unknown Regions."

The fact that it made sense and was true made it no easier to swallow- especially because Leyla wasn't even at home for the next twelve weeks. "Kyp will be watching out for her," Jaina reasoned dully.

Jag hesitated. "Yes, I know. Look," he tilted her dejected face up so he could meet her eyes, "I leave the day after tomorrow, and it's almost a five-day journey just to get there. Give me two weeks, and if I can't sort out whatever is happening by then and be on my way back here, then you can come to Csilla for as long as I have to stay- or until Leyla is due to return from Ossus. How does that sound?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

She attempted a small smile. "Okay. But you owe me lots of romantic nights to ourselves when we're back."

"I should have thought that was obvious," his eyes warmed a little and his hand rose, skimming across her back and making her shudder in pleasure, before sliding up through her dark hair, applying pressure to the back of her head as he pulled her to him for another kiss. His other hand snaked under her shirt, making her squirm and whimper through the kiss as he found sensitive flesh with lightly probing fingers. "I need you now," he murmured against her.

"You have me."

He chuckled deep in his throat as he pulled away and met her soft eyes with his own green ones, usually pale and now darkened in need and desire. "Not yet I don't," he whispered, tightening his arms around her waist and standing suddenly, earning a surprised shriek as she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. "But I will- very soon, and in many ways."

A smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Promise?"

"Promise."

And he did. His mouth never left hers as he carried her easily through to the bedroom, up until the moment that he dropped her lightly on the bed, making her laugh delightedly as she reached up to begin helping him out of his uniform.

When he made love to her that night, his troubled emotions shone through as he abandoned his usual sweet sentimentality and adopted a forceful, passionate touch, possessed her with a desperation that did not show on his face but radiated from him in the Force.

Caught up in the moment and responding in kind, it wasn't until much later, as she lay in his arms with her back pressed against his muscular chest, that she realized something that unsettled her; the frenzied way in which Jag had taken her, the need, the desirous desperation… it was new for him, he was always soft-spoken and sweet with her, was romantic without being possessive. It was not new for her though.

It was the same way Kyp had been- each and every time they had been together.

With that uneasy thought intruding on her mind, Jaina lay awake for a long time, listening to Jag's slow breathing.

X-X-X

**A/N: **That's a level of suggestiveness and innuendo and… description… still worthy of a T, right…? 0:-)


	5. Part 4

**A/N**: Chapter challenge: there's a little tongue-in-cheek reference to the LotF series in this part… can you find it? ;-P

**Part IV**

They stared at each other somberly, an arm's length away, as Han and Leia retreated from the docking bay atop the Chiss-Imperial Embassy, and Jag's assistant and bodyguard, Ashik, stepped onto the waiting shuttle to give the separating husband and wife a few private minutes to say their farewells.

Smiling sadly, he reached a hand out to stroke her cheek as he stepped almost flush against her, leaning down to press his forehead against hers. "Two weeks," he murmured, barely audible above the roar of engines and repulsorjets firing up. "If they can't sort themselves out by then, who needs them?"

She forced a laugh, but it sounded disingenuous even to her own ears. "If they can't work things out by then, I'll come sort them out for you," she teased.

"I know you will." He looked down for a moment before glancing around, making sure they were alone. "Jaina… I know that things have been a little stressful for us, especially this last year…" she opened her mouth to argue, but he pressed a soft finger to her lips. "But when I get back, we're going to start over, stop worrying about my work, or about trying to have another baby…" Jaina flushed, though Jag didn't seem to read in her eyes the guilt that she felt. "We'll focus again on what it means to be a family, me and you and Leyla- and Kyp," he added, smiling ruefully. "And if we can't do that while I'm representing the Ascendancy here on Coruscant, then I'll just have to find something else to do with my time."

His thumb traced lightly over her lip as she gave him a watery smile. "I love you," she murmured moments before his mouth descended over hers again in a fast but playful kiss, his tongue skimming along her lower lip as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him.

"I love you, too," he spoke softly against her ear. "I'll comm you- and Leyla- when we arrive in-system." She nodded stiffly, reluctant to release him, to allow him to disappear into the shuttle that was to whisk him away for two weeks- plus travel time- to the Unknown Regions, where he might have come from, but where he had not returned except for the occasional visit in the past twelve years. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart, and may the Force be with you."

"And with you," she returned softly. "I'll be waiting for those romantic nights together when you're back."

"All the more reason to hurry," he squeezed her hand tightly in his, leaned down for one last deep kiss, and pulled reluctantly away. "Two weeks," he mouthed as he turned to stride towards the ramp, posture straight and stiff as always, groomed from a young age in a military family and later serving in the military itself.

She raised a hand in farewell as the ramp retracted and the hatch closed. "Goodbye," she murmured, not loud enough to be heard in the slightest, but she was confident that he could read her lips, even from the distance between them.

Once the hatch was closed, she smiled sadly and turned to retreat from the landing pad, to find her parents and watch from a safe distance as the shuttle rose into the sunlight, eventually disappearing behind lanes of hundreds of ships and speeders criss-crossing in the Coruscant sky.

X-X-X-X

"Daddy? Kyp?" Leyla peered around the corner of the door that separated the cockpit from the aft sections of the ship and finally found him sitting in the pilot's chair, leaning heavily on one arm, staring straight ahead and brooding. "Oh," she stopped short, surprised to see him in such a mood. "You feel it too, don't you?"

"Hm?" he turned around and met her concerned look.

She sighed and threw herself into the co-pilot's seat, nearly matching his slumped posture. "You can feel that my mother is sad." It was not a question. "I was trying to figure out why…"

"Something to do with Jag…" Kyp murmured, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Sorry. I suppose it's not any of my business."

His daughter peered intently at him. "Mom has been sad a lot lately," she stated matter-of-factly. "She thinks she hides it from me, but I can usually tell."

"She was sad that you left," Kyp pointed out wryly.

"Before that," Leyla countered.

Kyp stared at her for a few moments. "I wouldn't worry about it," he finally said. "If something was wrong, your parents would tell you about it, you know that." Leyla shrugged and turned to look out the viewport, though it was darkened while they traveled through hyperspace. "What about me?" Kyp asked. "Can you sense how I feel?"

Her eyes narrowed as she turned back to him. She bit her lip and thought for a minute. "Not as well," she admitted. "I can always sense your _presence_," she added quickly, as though it might offend him. "But your feelings… you hide them better than mom."

"You've inherited that particular skill," Kyp pointed out ruefully. It was true; Leyla had always kept her emotions close to her chest, even as a small child, but her experience being kidnapped had heightened the ability and she now kept her feelings under wraps almost as an unconscious defensive mechanism, even when she had nothing about which to worry. It was just one of those things that Luke wanted to make sure she understood before she developed the control to utilize the ability for her own ends. Much as being kidnapped had altered Leyla's outlook on social interactions, so had Kyp's experiences in the spice mines of Kessel, where he'd kept to himself and out of others' ways even as a small boy, in order to survive.

"Mom was sad about you a couple of weeks ago."

He didn't fully register what she'd said for a minute. Then, he turned to look at her sharply, and she sat up a little straighter in her chair, though there was little reaction to be felt in the Force. "Leyla, your perceptiveness is impressive, but there is such a thing as overdoing it, especially for Force-sensitives. Be wary that you are not encroaching on others' privacy with your talents."

It was a gentle rebuke, but she looked chastised nonetheless. "Sorry," she muttered. "I was just worried that you'd been in a fight or something."

Even with emotions well under control, Kyp could sense her embarrassment, and he realized how difficult Leyla must find it at times, juggling the bizarre family situation in which she had suddenly found herself four years prior. Until the age of seven, Jag had been the only father she knew, had been present for her birth, had helped raise her from infancy. Kyp had not met her until she was nearly two years old, and he had soon after decided that it would be best if they allowed the assumption to persist that Jagged Fel was her biological father. Her name had been changed to Solo-Fel, and only their immediate families had known the truth- in varying degrees, however, as they had never revealed to Jag's family that the infamous Kyp Durron was Leyla's father, simply that Jag was _not_.

All of that had changed though when Leyla was kidnapped. Using the secrecy afforded by his distance from her, Kyp had infiltrated the organization and retrieved Leyla- but not before Leyla learned a Force-technique for heightening her powers of memory-recall, a technique that had inadvertently alerted her to the fact that Kyp was truly her father. She had accepted him immediately, and the Force was more than enough to tell him that her affection for him was genuine… but he got the feeling that, as she grew older, she became more aware of the holes in the story she had been told to explain her parentage, and he knew that one day soon, the full truth would have to come out.

It wasn't a conversation that he particularly looked forward to.

He forced a smile onto his face. "It's alright. We didn't have a fight, she just… remembered a time when we didn't get along so well."

"Is that when I was born?"

She was really a bit too smart for her own good. "Around then," he replied evenly. "Anyway, it isn't worth worrying over, it's done."

But that didn't change the fact that Jaina was upset about something to do with Jag, and both he and Leyla could sense it like she was there in the cockpit with him. Despite his assurances to her, he couldn't help but worry a little- and he was savvy enough to know that Leyla hadn't forgotten about it either.

X-X-X-X

A soft hand brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, tickling her nose in the process. She sniffed once in annoyance before opening her eyes, knowing even before she met a pair of brandy-brown eyes, identical to her own, that it was Jacen who knelt beside the couch where she had fallen asleep after dinner.

"Hey," he murmured.

"You're late," she greeted wryly.

A crooked smile graced his features. "Yeah, well… I guess those pirates in the Neimodia system just don't have respect for making it home for a family dinner. I didn't do too bad though," he nodded towards the kitchen, where Leia was preparing him a leftover plate.

"I suppose not."

For a long moment, he studied her as she stretched out her arms above her head and yawned. "I hear that Jag left," he finally said.

She scowled. "It sounds so bad when you say it like that. He _had_ to leave, they summoned him back to the Ascendancy."

His brows quirked. "I guess; I have to be annoyed though, it's my job as a big brother."

"Jacen, I'm five minutes older than you."

"Yeah, but you're little."

"Feisty though," Han swept into the room bearing a plate of food for Jacen. "Don't underestimate your sister, Jacen, my money's on her in a fight."

Jaina grinned and Jacen adopted an offended expression, but lost it as he dug into his dinner with relish. "Thanks dad," he spoke through a mouthful. "I've been living off of fighter rations for the last week." He swallowed a huge bite with effort before turning back to his twin. "Seriously though- what gives? Kyp takes Leyla to Ossus and the _same_ day, they tell Jag he needs to hurry back to Chiss space, where he's barely spent any time since the end of the war?"

She winced. "Yeah, I got all that; thanks." Jacen had the good grace to look guilty for his lack of tact. "And once Jag figures out what's going on, he says if he can't make it back here right away, I can come out to Csilla."

"It's cold there."

"But charming enough in its own way," she reasoned, turning to her father. "I mean, as far as icy planets go… I'm sure Hoth had a few nice spots, right?" she teased.

Her father just sighed. "Leave your old man alone. Hoth," he muttered. "That was more than thirty-five years ago now, you realize? Honey!" he called out to Leia. "We're getting old!"

X-X-X-X

For the first time, a hint of nervousness began to show through her brave and resolute mask. Wide, brown eyes gazed up at him as he knelt and clasped her shoulders, and periodically, her gaze would flicker to where Tionne Solusar stood a respectable distance away. "Hey," he grinned. "You'll do great; just be good for Tionne and Kam, and you'll be back to Coruscant before you know it."

"What if I'm not ready?" she whispered, and he blinked in surprise. It was the last reservation he expected from her.

"You alone can know if you are," he countered softly. "Are you?"

"I…" she hesitated. "Yes. I just…"

"What is it?"

She let out a small sigh, seeming devastatingly world-wearied for a moment. "When I was younger… when Xela and Wrynn took me and tried to train me… I _knew_ that they were bad, that they used the dark side of the Force. But nothing that they wanted to teach me _seemed_ bad, and I couldn't understand how I was supposed to know the difference."

Kyp frowned and worried his lower lip. "Sweetheart… how long has this been bothering you?"

Leyla shrugged. "Not long, I guess. I used to wonder about it when I was younger, but… I guess I just sort of thought it would make more sense when I was old enough to start training. But now that I'm here…" she glanced down to the ground. "I hear more than mom and dad think I do," she muttered. "I know that they've been talking to Uncle Luke, that they wanted me to come early because they're worried about me having too much power in the Force."

"Oh, Leyla," Kyp smiled sadly, "it isn't like that. No one is worried about _you_, no one thinks that you won't be able to understand the difference between right and wrong, between light and dark. It's just that…" he took a deep breath. "I never told you much about the months after I met your grandpa, after he rescued me from my imprisoned slavery. What happened though, was that I met your great uncle Luke, who was just starting his academy on the moon of Yavin, and I was young and eager, and more powerful than he knew how to handle. It made me susceptible to the dark side, because I had been using my powers in the Force in small ways for years, without really understanding them, and once I was free from the mines, I was desperate to prove myself, to hone my powers so that I would never be trapped away in the dark again.

"And then I trapped myself in darkness," he continued softly as she stared at him, wide-eyed. "I did everything wrong, and Luke was still young and new to teaching, and he didn't know what to do… I developed my abilities quickly, but took shortcuts, did not understand the merits of patience and humility… and I fell. And for good or bad, you have a heritage that is strong in the Force- but that has also demonstrated too ready an ability to succumb to fast-tracks to power, and those all-too-often lead to the dark side. I've fallen twice now; you know all about the Sith legacy on your mother's side, even Luke has brushed the dark side.

"So no one thinks you're heading down a wrong path," he took one of her hands in his as he looked seriously into her eyes. "You just have the misfortune of being born of two powerful Force-traditions, and you have extraordinary abilities; you'll be a great Jedi one day. And your parents, your great-uncle… they just want to make sure that you're taught better than I was, than the other students who have fallen into similar traps of power. We all learn from our mistakes," he pointed out ruefully, "and we've all made grave ones- and because of it, you have the advantage of benefiting from the hard lessons we've learned."

She was quiet for close to a minute, processing his words while Kyp watched her curiously. A small smile graced her features though, and she stepped forward to hug him. "I understand," she whispered.

He allowed a gentle warmth to flow from him, reassuring her, calming her fears as he pulled back and regarded her at arm's length again. "And don't forget," he reminded her, "that if you ever want to talk about any of this when I'm not available, or your mother… Vulcor will be here, and he spent _years_ living with Wrynn, and he turned out well in the end."

Her face brightened a little at that. "You're right; thanks, daddy."

"Any time," he smiled. "My ship is waiting," he pointed out. "Do you think you're ready?"

"I _am_ ready."

He tried- and failed- to keep the pride he felt from pouring too obviously across his face and through his emotions in the Force. "Good girl," he murmured. "Take care of yourself, Leyla; I'll see you again in three months, okay? And if you ever need anything, or just want to chat… you know where to reach me."

She nodded solemnly, and walked by his side as they crossed to the waiting shuttle on which they had arrived. "I'll leave you a message when I get back to Coruscant," he called loudly over the sound of the engines.

"Alright." She stopped near the base of the ramp and gave him a last hug. "Fly safe," she said, voice almost lost to the noise around them.

"I always do."

He turned after one last look at her serious expression and started up the ramp. After three steps, he heard her call out once more, and he might have missed what she said, except she projected the sentiment in to his mind simultaneously, surprising him into turning.

"_Take care of mom_."

But she was already walking away and his voice died in his throat when he opened his mouth to call her back. Instead, with effort, he threw a last wave towards Tionne, reached out with the Force to touch Leyla's mind with a final goodbye, and disappeared into the ship. Throughout the entire process of securing the shuttle and preparing to take off though, her words bothered him.


	6. Part 5

**Part V**

His expression was tired, but he smiled easily at her when she pressed the button to accept the transmission. For a moment, he just took in her appearance, and one might have thought that he'd been gone more than five days.

"You're in the Csilla system?" Jaina quickly asked.

"Just emerged from hyperspace," he assured her smoothly. "You were my first call, once we'd received landing clearances. Once we're done, I'll go ahead and leave a message on Ossus for Leyla… have you spoken with her yet?"

Jaina nodded. "We talked briefly two days ago, shortly after Kyp headed back this way. She seems to be settling in fine. I gave her a general idea of what was going on with you." Jag nodded. "She… didn't seem surprised."

He shrugged. "She's smart and observant."

"And she reads me like a book, even from Ossus," Jaina quipped wryly. "Anyway, I'll have to ask Kyp about that when he gets back."

"When is he due?"

She looked away, calculating. "Late tomorrow, I think."

A sly look crossed Jag's face. "Good; I'll have to remember to tell him not to let you go gallivanting across the galaxy doing Jedi missions that just happen to be near the Unknown Regions…"

An outraged expression crossed her face, but she fought the smile. "Are you sure you don't have latent Jedi abilities?" she asked sardonically.

He looked mildly surprised. "I wasn't entirely serious." His eyes narrowed. "Jaina…"

"Oh, calm down. I'm not going to come running out to Csilla, or anywhere _near_ Chiss space. I _was_ going to ask Uncle Luke about going on some missions with Jacen though. I've been sitting here on Coruscant for too long, I only get sent anywhere when the rest of them are spread too thin, and now that Leyla is on Ossus, under the watchful eyes of the Solusars and Aunt Mara… why not?"

He looked reluctantly resigned. "Just be careful."

"You're the one who's practically in a war zone," she deadpanned. "Besides, it'll probably be boring stuff anyway, meeting with diplomats and the like…"

"And we all know how stuffy and dull diplomats are," he reasoned. She laughed, but stopped when he frowned and leaned out of the image to confer with Ashik. When he leaned back in, his apologetic look said it all.

"You have to go?"

He nodded. "My father is contacting us."

"Alright; take care, stay in touch. Give your parents my greetings."

A soft smile touched the corners of his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, Jagged; now go knock some sense into the Ascendancy and skedaddle on back here."

X-X-X-X

Barely two hours later, as he stepped over the threshold of the foyer, loosening the fastens that held up a hood which protected his face against the biting wind and freezing cold, he was folded into a fierce hug. Sighing slightly, he abandoned the attempts at removing the protective outer layers and embraced his mother, who he had not seen in more than a year.

"We've missed you, Jagged," she murmured.

"I miss you as well, mother." He pulled away and regarded her a moment before returning to the arduous task of removing the coat. "How have you been?"

A grim smile crossed her otherwise pleasant features; even the span of decades could not detract from the unique beauty of the former holovid star. "Too often lonely, since Wynssa left. Your father works too hard."

"A family trait, I'm afraid; Jaina would likely say the same about me."

A booming voice cut off his mother's reply. "It is your lot in life, as a Fel." He turned to see his father striding in from the direction of his office, face set and even as it had been when they had conversed briefly while Jag and Ashik were still entering the atmosphere. "Jagged," he stopped short and looked his son over. "You are looking well."

"Thank you, sir. You are looking… uneasy at best."

Soontir Fel's mouth twitched in what might have almost been a smile, before a hardened look came to his eyes. "Perhaps; it might have been a mistake to return."

Syal blinked up at her husband in confusion, and Jag frowned. "I was summoned, father."

"I suspect that your summoning had less to do with you being on Csilla than it did with getting you _off_ of Coruscant."

Something cold settled in the pit of his stomach. "What does _that_ mean? Jaina is on Coruscant, her entire family is on Coruscant…"

Soontir held up a hand and shook his head. "I merely suggest that certain factions among parliament and the Ruling Families do not wish to see you- a symbol for all they oppose- in a position to thwart their further attempts at pulling away from the Galactic Alliance. I do not mean to imply any danger to your wife or to her daughter."

Jag's brow rose and his expression cooled immediately. "_Her_ daughter? Father, I have raised her from infancy, Leyla is as much my child as she is Jaina's…"

"Not to the Chiss, Jagged; and you've spent far too long abroad. You need to start putting yourself back in their mindset, if you are to keep up with the political landscape. Otherwise, you are useless to us here. However…" his eyes softened. "I do apologize; I did not mean to imply that I- or your mother- view Leyla as anything less than our granddaughter."

He nodded stiffly as the three of them retreated to a sitting room. "Why is Leyla of any concern to the Chiss?" he asked numbly.

"She is not; though I will not deny that some have felt… deceived… as rumor has developed into truth in the past four years, regarding the girl's… true father. Some feel that the situation four years ago was a Jedi problem, and should have been handled as such, rather than expending our resources to defend Bastion."

"And you, father? Mother? Do you feel deceived?"

"An odd question," Soontir murmured. "I wonder that you did _not_, all those years ago. You risked much to protect your girlfriend who was pregnant by another man."

A knot of tension was forming along Jag's shoulders and neck. "That is between myself and Jaina, and between us and Master Durron." Syal was glancing between her husband and son a bit worriedly. "And I would appreciate if you did not take this opportunity to slander my wife's character; she has always been loyal to the utmost, regardless of what you may think you understand about a difficult situation twelve years ago."

His father eyed him curiously a moment, before nodding. "Understood," he said smoothly. "Now… here's what you should know about the situation here…"

X-X-X-X

The hangar was deserted except for the lone, small figure, wrapped up in a grey cloak, watching as he descended the shuttle ramp alone. He quirked a brow in her direction, and she started forward, meeting him halfway between the ship and the door that opened from the hangar to the lower levels of the Jedi temple.

"I wasn't expecting a welcoming party."

"Do I constitute a party?" her voice was wry.

He glanced down at her, trying to get a read on her emotions, but she kept them neatly under wraps. "Depends, I suppose; what's going on? It's awfully late to still be roaming the temple… is Jag still at work?"

"Jag's gone, Kyp."

That made him stop in surprise, though he supposed in retrospect that he should have anticipated it. "What?"

Sighing, she leaned against a cool stone wall. "Something is going on in the Ascendancy… they recalled him last week. He just arrived in Csilla yesterday, he left a message for Leyla on Ossus, but you'd already started back." He opened his mouth to ask a question, but she cut him off with a small smile. "Don't ask- whatever the question is, I don't have an answer. The Chiss were… less than forthcoming… with their instructions."

"Gosh, Jaina… that's rough, I'm sorry."

She shrugged wearily. "All in all, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised; in almost a decade, Jag's managed to get by with a visit or two a year back home, they haven't once demanded he return on a whim like this… so I suppose it was about time. It's just that…"

"The timing sucks?"

"Yeah."

They kept walking, winding their way through the corridors in more or less random patterns that would ultimately deposit them on the level that held the audience chamber and opened up onto the plaza, where walkways would get them back to their respective apartment buildings, which were only about a kilometer apart. "So what are you doing here?"

"I can't just come and welcome you home?" she asked bemusedly. He cocked a brow and his lips quirked when he saw her expression of affected innocence. "Fine," she laughed. "First of all, I'm instructed to invite you to my parents' place for dinner tomorrow evening at eighteen hundred."

"You came out in the middle of the night to invite me to the Solo family weekly get-together?"

She smacked his arm lightly. "No. I came to fill you in on the situation with Jag, to find out how Leyla seemed to like being at Ossus before you left, to tell you that Jacen is back from Neimodia, and to inform you that I'll be leaving again with him in two days to investigate some suspicious smuggling activity near Reecee."

"Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough?"

He chuckled. "You multitask well. And Leyla will be just fine; she was more than excited to see Mara and Ben, and she'll be catching up with Vulcor right up until she leaves again." He hesitated, and she latched on to it quickly.

"What?"

"I… want to talk to you about something she said. Not now, it's late and I'm tired. And no," he answered her unspoken concern, "nothing to worry about, just something to… be aware of… in the future."

"Okay…" she replied slowly, unsurely. "Tomorrow then, before dinner."

He nodded. "Deal. I'll come over around seventeen hundred." He glanced around as they emerged onto the plaza, and then turned with her in a generally southerly direction.

"Kyp?" she peered up at him. "You live that way," she pointed along a row of buildings somewhat west of their route.

"It's late," he repeated. "I'll walk you home."

Her smile was part amused, part dangerous. "Aren't you just chivalrous?" she deadpanned. He winced. "You and Jag," she muttered. "I'm fine; I can take _quite_ good care of myself."

"Right," he agreed, slowing to a stop and turning slowly to face the other way. "Sorry."

She sighed. "Go get some sleep, Kyp. I'll see you tomorrow."

They parted ways, and a couple of times, Kyp turned to watch her departing figure melt into the surrounding darkness. He shook his head to clear it of the sensation… maybe it was just the lingering confusion over Leyla's parting words… but something felt wrong. Not necessarily bad or dangerous… just wrong.

With a resigned sigh, he tucked his hands on his pockets and headed home.

X-X-X-X

It did not take Jag long to understand why his father had behaved as he did upon his arrival.

For the entire night, as he tried to sleep and escape the uneasiness that was creeping into his mind, he was tense and brooding, and he woke the next morning feeling touchy and defensive.

Which he realized as he sat, five hours after waking, in a large chamber full of governors and senators, fighting to keep from banging his head against the table, was his father's intention all along. It had taken less than five standard minutes from the moment that formal greetings were completed and everyone was properly seated for the topic of Jag's recent promotion to ambassador for the Ascendancy for the Galactic Alliance to come up; within another three minutes after that, his appropriateness in the role was called into question, with hard-eyed senators and governors addressing his marriage that tied him closely to the Jedi as well as to the formerly New Republic, given Leia's history in politics.

It took another four and a half minutes for someone to bring up the fact that Jag had taken a lengthy leave of absence after Leyla was kidnapped four years ago, abandoning his post to go fight the 'Jedi's battles.'

"Ambassador Fel," he looked slowly to his left where the presiding Aristocra sat partway across the room. "Do you wish to address the concerns of these honorable senators and governors?"

"Are they done already?" Jag muttered, earning a rebuking look from a female chiss to his immediate left and a soft snort from Ashik on his right. "Thank you, Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano," he spoke in a crisp, clear voice. "And I will keep my comments brief- suffice it to say that the merits of diplomatic appointments in the Ascendancy have never before been deemed unworthy due to times of shifting opinion and political unrest."

A terse silence met this remark. "Would the ambassador care to expound upon his comments?" a soft-spoken senator murmured, and Jag tapped once on the table, a signal for Ashik to learn the identity of the man and compile information on him later.

"If my esteemed colleague wishes it," Jag countered smoothly. "More than nine years ago, I was singled out, asked to step down from my position in the military, to join a corps of diplomatic representatives _specifically_ for the reasons which are now named against me. I might remind the cabinet and the senate here assembled that I was already publically engaged to Jedi Solo at the time when I was asked to serve in this capacity. And I'm confident that my marriage was common knowledge a year ago when I was asked to step up to the position of ambassador," he concluded wryly, earning another muffled noise of amusement from his assistant.

"Those are… valid points, Ambassador," the same male senator murmured. "However, you have not spoken to the other concern, that you are inclined to put personal troubles ahead of your work."

Jag just stared at him for a minute, face impassive. "Again, Senator, might I point out that the situation to which you infer occurred some three years prior to my appointment to my current assignment? I cannot believe that these concerns were not addressed when my name was submitted for candidacy by the honorable Aristocra," he nodded politely towards the presiding, elderly figure, who nodded his acknowledgement.

He refused to be drawn into an argument. After all, that wasn't what this was about; it didn't matter that there was no relevance between the issues being addressed and the current situation in the Ascendancy. What mattered was that elements of the government were doing their best to isolate him, to be able to hold him forth as an example of human failure in Chiss society.


	7. Part 6

**A/N**: _**Future ADA**_- that scene with Jag and parliament was like a bio of your life? You must lead quite the life … :P

**Part VI**

"So basically," Kyp sat back and regarded Jaina contemplatively from across the room, "Leyla is a hell of a lot more perceptive and aware of what's going on around her than is likely normal in an eleven-year-old- which is fine, we knew that already. But she's smart too, and that combination can be… problematic… when she's only picking up on certain things, or isn't fully comprehending what she is perceiving around her."

Jaina stared. "What are you talking about?"

"You and Jag spoke recently with Luke about her training, about getting her a head start because she has a lot more potential to manage."

"Yes; I _told_ you about that discussion."

"Did you tell Leyla?"

"No."

He stared. "But she knew about it." Jaina blinked. "I don't know _how_, but she heard, or sensed something of it… and before I left, she was worried that she wasn't ready to start training, was worried that she wouldn't understand the difference between light and dark, because of her experiences with Wrynn," a slight shadow passed over Jaina's face. "And apparently this only really started bothering her when she realized- or thought she realized- that her parents and great-uncle were shipping her off because she was _too_ powerful."

Jaina winced. "Force, Kyp," she sighed. "I… shavit," she bit. "She didn't mention this once before she left, she was ecstatic to go!"

"Reservations aside," he assured her, "she's thrilled to be there- it was only as I was leaving that she grew a little nervous, and I explained to her that no, the rest of us aren't afraid that she's going to misuse the Force or anything, just that she comes from… unfortunately powerful heritages," he cringed slightly at the thought of his own, poor introduction to Jedi training. "I'm not telling you this because I think she's going to obsess over it, or that it will ultimately affect her… I just think you need to realize how aware Leyla is of what is going on around her… emotionally, as well as physically."

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

Hesitating a moment, Kyp pursed his lips. "She reads you very well, Jaina. Even from a distance… she sensed- we _both_ sensed- when you were really upset last week… I assume when Jag was leaving, we weren't even to Ossus yet," he shrugged. "And then she told me that you were sad a lot, and that… you were recently sad because of me."

She looked away uncomfortably.

"She was worried that we'd been fighting," Kyp continued softly. "I told her, first of all, that she needed to be careful that she wasn't being too invasive of others' privacy, and second of all, that you were just reminded of… less happy times."

She smiled wryly. "That's a way of putting it. Was she… content with that response?"

He met her gaze evenly. "She asked if those times were when she was born." Jaina sighed and closed her eyes. "Jaina, we have to tell her the truth soon."

"Why?"

"Because she'll figure it out on her own," he shot. "And worse, she'll only half-understand whatever she thinks she figured out, and she'll interpret it in the worst possible way."

She stared at him incredulously. "What's the 'worst possible way'?" she demanded. "What's worse than the truth?"

He cringed, but fought from snapping at her again. "Worse than learning that she was born when her father fell to the dark side and thought that his problems would be solved by involuntarily impregnating a _teenager_?" Jaina blinked in shock a few times at his bluntness. "How about this- 'Mom, if Kyp fell to the dark side and hurt you so that you'd have me, does that mean that I inherited his dark side?' How about 'Mom, does that mean that you and dad didn't want me? Does that mean that you don't want me now?' You don't worry that a little girl's mind will work like that?"

Angry tears were pooling in her eyes. "I hope to hell that she's not paying too close attention right now," Jaina bit, wiping at her eyes, "because she's _really_ going to wonder what we're fighting about."

"Exactly!" Kyp cried. "She will wonder, and that's why we have to tell her the truth! It needs to happen because _we_ started the conversation, and that way we can control it. You and Jag caught a lucky break four years ago when she blindsided you with the question about me being her father. It won't happen again though. Any other child would have resented being misled like that, but Leyla was smart enough to understand as far as we wanted her to… but now… the truth will come out somehow, Jaina, and it'll hurt her if we don't open up to her first."

For a long time, Jaina sat brooding, and Kyp could tell that she wasn't really _mad_- it was just another thing that she didn't want to have to deal with now, not with Jag called away for an indeterminate amount of time, not with Leyla on Ossus, not when she was preparing to head out with Jacen again…

"You're right," she finally slumped. "Of course you are; but I think it can wait until she's home again, you know?"

"Of course."

"Jag should be home by then."

"Right."

"And if he isn't, I'll straighten the Chiss out myself." She glanced sidelong at him. "I'll be going out there if it takes too long," she said softly. "At least until Leyla is through with her time on Ossus."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Won't that be… never mind," he quickly stopped that line of thought, remembering how annoyed she had become the prior night when he'd been too protective. "I hope it won't come to that," he amended.

Her sardonic smile told him well enough that she knew what he had been about to say. "Jag's… assessing the situation," she assured him. "If there is anything to be concerned about, I'll know well in advance. But," she looked at him seriously, "if it does come to that, you'll be best poised to handle any potential problems on Ossus."

"Not a problem."

They sat looking at each other quietly for another minute before she shook her head ruefully and stood. "Come on, we're going to be late."

X-X-X-X

"Hey, Ben."

Hesitating only a moment, she sat down with her lunch on the bench next to her cousin, smiling lightly back at him and looking shyly under her lashes at the young twi'lek male across the table and the female bothan to his left.

"Hi, Leyla," he smiled broadly, a twinkle in his bright blue eyes. "Settling in alright?"

"Yeah."

Ben was just over a year older than her, and nearly thirteen. In the face, he greatly resembled his father, Luke, but his hair was close to the same shocking red as Mara's… and despite it all, he had a mischievousness about him that defied either parent, and which Leyla largely suspected was attained through his years informally apprenticing with her uncle, Jacen.

"Do you know Battek and Tivan?" he gestured to the twi'lek and bothan respectively, and Leyla shook her head, smiling and exchanging simple greetings with the other two.

The bothan smiled, baring teeth. "You're cousins?" she queried.

"Second cousins, yeah," Ben said casually. "Leyla is Jacen's niece." Apparently the other two knew and were fond of Jacen, because they looked duly impressed. "You've never had the chance to meet his twin, Jaina, have you?" he asked his friends, frowning in thought. "She sticks mostly around Coruscant… what with a family and all," he grinned at Leyla and she shrugged.

"Not anymore; dad had to go to Csilla, I think mom said she was going to go on some trip with Uncle Jacen, actually."

Ben wrinkled his nose. "Csilla… miserable place, isn't it?"

She laughed. "S'not so bad. I haven't been in a long time though."

"Isn't Csilla the Chiss capital?" Battek asked, brow furrowed and lekku twitching slightly in confusion.

"Yes; dad's an ambassador for the Chiss Ascendancy on Coruscant," Leyla replied matter-of-factly.

Tivan sat back and regarded her. "You aren't blue," she stated evenly, and Ben laughed behind his hand while Leyla's mouth quirked in a half-smile.

"Dad's family just lives on Csilla, they aren't _really_ chiss."

"Yeah," Ben put in enthusiastically, "Leyla's granddad is an Imperial baron, and he joined _Thrawn_'s empire before it disappeared."

The other two just stared. "And… his son married the… daughter of a New Republic chief-of-state…?"

Ben and Leyla exchanged wicked looks and grinned. "We do have an _interesting_ family," Ben admitted. "Have I ever told you about my mother's job when she was a teenager…?"

X-X-X-X

"Come in."

Jag stepped over the threshold and peered with mild interest around his father's office in their private residence; it was a room he had not seen in years. "Father," he nodded his head once, waiting for the older man to look up from the datapad he was perusing.

"Jagged," Soontir sat back in his chair and beckoned his son forward; Jag took up a chair opposite him at the desk and waited. "You are returned from Csaplar," he observed. "Did you find your trip… educational?"

"Beyond imagining," Jag returned wryly. "Though after the first three days, it really got rather old, having the same senators continually bringing up the same irrelevant points… but it seems that it can never be stated enough times that a human is inept and incapable of performing his appointed task." He paused, studying his father's impassive face. "You played me," he commented mildly.

Soontir steepled his fingers and leaned forward. "I did; I hope you'll forgive me, I needed to be sure that you were on your guard before sending you to the slaughterhouse that has become the cabinet and parliament."

"There is nothing to forgive; I quickly understood."

"And I have nothing but the utmost respect for Jaina- personally, professionally, militarily…"

"I understand, sir."

For a long moment, the two regarded each other carefully across the desk. "May I satisfy an inkling of curiosity, Jagged?"

That was most unusual for his father. "Perhaps," he conceded slowly.

"When you came to Csilla during the war… were you hiding Jaina from the Yuuzhan Vong, or were you hiding her from Kyp Durron?"

A terse silence stretched between them, and Jag fought from repeating his words of a week prior- that these issues were between him and his wife, and between the two of them and Kyp… "Both."

Soontir's brow quirked upwards. "Yet you were on good terms with the man when I saw you marry at the end of the war." Jag jerked his head in acknowledgement. "Durron forsook his dark side," he surmised. "He treats Leyla well?"

"Of course."

Another lengthy pause sat heavily in the air. "Son… are you planning on staying?"

"I will do my duty," Jag returned stiffly, "right until I am relieved of my post."

"Even if it means being separated from your wife?" Jag stared, but his father read the truth in his eyes. "Jagged, you cannot bring her here."

"If you are concerned that she will be targeted…"

"No," Soontir said quickly. "I am sure that she can take care of herself; my concern is that her presence will detonate the situation and rile the traditionalists and… it would not be fair to those who fight for the betterment of our society, those like Aristocra Formbi who have been nothing but helpful to our family and have only the best interests for the long-term survival of the Ascendancy at heart."

Jag frowned heavily. "Jaina has been here before."

A look of mild consternation crossed his father's face. "Jagged, you miss the point. I do not bring up Kyp Durron to be provocative, I did not mention the Defense Fleet's defense of Bastion to rile you; there are some who view Kyp Durron as the antithesis of all we stand for, who view his past crimes as unforgiveable, who would jump at the chance to hold him fully accountable for his actions against the Empire decades ago. And I am deadly serious when I tell you that there are some who are deeply offended to have such a personal tie between him and the Ascendancy."

"I thought you said Leyla was of no concern to the Chiss," Jag muttered through numb lips.

"And she isn't; remember, Jagged, that it is all just an excuse, but that does not make the situation any less real or damaging. Tying you to Kyp Durron- not a far leap, by your own admission- is just another way to discredit you, which is just another way to prove the point that humans cannot be trusted, that the Jedi are just a bunch of rogue criminals who blow up training academies, and therefore, we have no business allying ourselves with the Galactic Alliance that supports them."

"Then perhaps I should resign now and eliminate the source of the trouble."

His father shook his head sadly. "You could, but it would solve no problems. To resign now would only prove, in their minds, that the instigators have been right, that the Ascendancy would be better off without humans, without connection to the Jedi or the Alliance… without the Fels." A shadow crossed his face. "Though I do not deny that the latter might be true."

"You would defect?"

He sighed. "Son, I have been a great many things- a Corellian, an Imperial, a Rebel… a member of Thrawn's empire, now a leading member of the Ascendancy… the only true defection was that to the New Republic." He took a few deep breaths, thinking and looking absently at the far wall. "But not yet, son; it would be irresponsible at best for me to leave now. The Ascendancy _will_ not survive if they revert to the old status quo."

Jag was somber and pensive for a long moment. "When the situation is suitably calmed, sir… I cannot help but feel it would be best if I were to step aside, resign my commission in the Defense Fleet, and remain in the Galactic Alliance from now on. I have considerations and obligations, and duties to my family that shall, from here onwards, seemingly be at odds with my duties here." He hesitated. "I just… fear that to do so would wound mother grievously, since Wynssa joined the Remnant."

"That decision will be for you to make with your family, Jagged; but rest assured, your mother understands the difficulties of raising a family across multiple political spectrums. It nearly tore us apart, in the early years of our marriage. You will do what you must."

He would do what he must, as he always had, as he always would… but that didn't make the breaking of a promise any less bitter.


	8. Part 7

**A/N: **_**Marsk**_- *guilty shrug* 0:-)

**Part VII**

"Well… you've still got it."

Jaina forced a grin on her face as she leapt down from the StealthX fighter, but she was exhausted and disquieted. "I wish I didn't _have_ to have it at all," she remarked ruefully. "Why do they _always_ have to fight? Why do they never believe that the only way they'll survive is to surrender?"

"Because it isn't you going after them most times?" Jacen grinned, but his expression sobered as he carefully watched her. "You okay?"

Nodding, she pulled her lengthening brown hair out of the collar of her flight suit and let it hang down her shoulders. "Just tired."

"You haven't been feeling too well," Jacen remarked shrewdly.

"Haven't flown in a while."

He stared. "Jaina," his voice was painfully offended. "Flying is in your blood; you were born to be in Rogue Squadron, you joined when you were sixteen- and you expect me to believe that zipping around in a StealthX, going after a few old, washed-up smugglers and pirates is enough to put you off just because you haven't flown a fighter in a few years?"

Heavily annoyed, she pursed her lips and began walking from the hangar where they had settled their fighters on the planet Reecee for a short rest and refreshing stopover, prior to heading back to Coruscant. The resting and refreshing, it would seem, would have to wait for later though, as an awkwardly tall and angled man stepped forward to greet them, eyes slightly wide.

"Jedi Solo," he nodded to both of them in turn, "Jedi Solo-Fel… it is our honor to accommodate you tonight here in Tor Buhat tonight. My name is Vyltyrn, I am an assistant to the mayor…"

"Thank you," Jacen held up a hand, smiling easily to dispel some of the man's obvious nerves. "My sister and I appreciate the hospitality."

"Can I direct you to one of our best dining establishments, here in the capital?" Vyltyrn was eager. "We have fine dining options from more than a dozen star systems, including Coruscant, Hapes, Corellia, Ryloth…" the list continued, but Jacen was looking at Jaina as she closed her eyes and pressed her mouth into a thin line, and he sensed a certain annoyance in her mind, as well as… something else.

For a moment, the poor assistant stared hopefully at the famous Jedi twins, but Jacen finally wrenched his gaze from his sister and smiled again at the man. "Thank you, sir," he half-bowed graciously. "Perhaps we will investigate one of those fine choices later this evening. For now though, we are tired and shall be retiring to the inn to freshen up."

The inn was actually quite nice, and was just across the way from the government spaceport, catering to visiting dignitaries, politicians, the like… or Jedi Knights, fending off the scoundrels and villains plaguing the imports and exports of Reecee. Jacen didn't bother to take in the niceties though; acquiring the entry-codes to their neighboring rooms from an over-exuberant clerk, he took Jaina's upper arm in hand and pulled her along down the hallway, ignoring her outraged splutterings at being manhandled in such a way.

When he reached the first room, he keyed it open and stepped back, motioning her forward. She entered stiffly, and he followed, shutting and locking the door quickly behind him and then whirling on her, eyes hard and mouth set. "I don't believe you."

"_What_?"

"How could you be so irresponsible? Jag runs off and you just have to get in on the fun too…" her mouth was working in outrage but she couldn't quite seem to formulate words. "So you come to me and appeal to old-time's sake…"

"Jacen…"

"…and conveniently fail to mention that you're _pregnant_?"

She closed her eyes and held up a hand to ward off his angered tirade. "Stop, please," her voice was weary. "And don't be absurd- I didn't know. And even if I had realized when I asked to come out here with you, it still would have been my decision to make."

He blinked. "You didn't know?"

Eyes still closed, she shook her head. "No- I only started to suspect about three days ago, and now, I'm almost positive. I'll need to see Cilghal, but… I think I'm only two or three weeks along."

"So Jag doesn't know."

"Obviously."

Ire forgotten, Jacen grinned, losing years from his face in his excitement. "But when are you going to tell him?" he asked excitedly. "Aren't you expecting him to comm tonight?"

"No," Jaina said quickly. "I mean… yes, I'm expecting him to comm, but…" she smiled softly, "it's the sort of thing I think I'd prefer to tell him in person, you know?" Jacen nodded, eyes wide. "So you _keep your big mouth shut_," she insisted. "His two weeks are up in just a few days, so one way or another, I'll be seeing him soon."

X-X-X-X

She was excited and ready for the call when her comlink beeped that evening, so it only took her a minute to make her way to the communications center off of the inn lobby, near where they had entered several hours earlier. Jacen's excitement for her had helped bolster her own spirits- which had been nervous at best, given the current situation with Jag- and she was happy just to be able to see her husband, and to discuss what was to happen, now that his two weeks were up. Either way, she would be seeing him within another week or two, and could give him the good news in person, and four years of frustration between them would be ended…

A blinking red light signaled the waiting call, and Jaina braced herself a moment before pressing the corresponding button and flipping a switch to activate her end of the call, turning slightly in her chair to check that she had properly sealed the room for privacy. When she turned back, the image was resolving itself on the screen, and she smiled broadly as Jag's face materialized before her.

He smiled back softly, but it didn't fully extend to his eyes; she frowned lightly. "Jaina," he murmured. "You are well?"

"I'm wonderful, Jag," she smiled again, but hesitated when his face seemed to grow _more_ somber. "What… what's wrong?"

"Jaina…" he closed his eyes, and they looked pained when he forced them open to meet her gaze once more. "For the first time in over a decade… I have to break a promise to you."

Unlike when he told her that he had to leave in the first place, this was more numbing than painful. For a moment, she stared, wanting to ask, but there was only one thing he could be talking about… "You aren't coming home."

"Not yet," he sighed. "And you can't come to Csilla."

"Says who?" she demanded sharply.

The guilt in his eyes said it all. "Me."

"You."

He ran a hand through his hair and looked away, a bitter shadow crossing his features. "Sweetheart… the way that things are here right now… my father has suggested that your presence will negatively impact the situation and… I agree with him."

It almost seemed he was steeling himself for her to explode, but the numbness continued to pervade her body as she tried to process his words. "Negatively impact," she repeated dully. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He winced. "Politicians will be politicians, and they will use whatever means are available to them to get their way; and with the future of the Ascendancy at stake, there are those who will use asinine but effective arguments to gather support against the Galactic Alliance and… against the Jedi."

"Jag, this is _me_," she appealed. "I've spent plenty of time on Csilla, we lived there for months before and after Leyla was born…"

"This isn't about you, and this isn't about Leyla," Jag sighed wearily.

She stared. "What does that…? You just said that the Jedi…" she stiffened and looked away, thinking quickly and shrewdly. "It's about Kyp, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Kyp Durron, Destroyer of Worlds… the Chiss are mad because you never revealed your connection to him? That they found out through rumor over the past four years?"

"And that they expended resources on Leyla's behalf- even if indirectly- without knowing that she wasn't technically my child."

She closed her eyes and laughed bitterly. "And that's an important distinction for the Chiss, isn't it?"

"Bloodlines are important, yes." They were quiet for a minute. "Jaina, none of this is really about us, or even about Kyp… it's just a means to an end for those who have nothing better they can be doing… they want my family out of the Ascendancy, and discrediting me is a way to achieve that; they want the Ascendancy to withdraw from the Alliance, and being able to hold up a Jedi Master as a prime example of what we stand _against_…" he grimaced and looked apologetic.

"It also probably doesn't help your family's case to tie the two together, now does it?" she bit coolly, bitterly. "Not only do the Fels support a galactic-oriented Ascendancy, but their son married a Jedi whore."

"Jaina!" he cried, aghast, losing all composure at her tone and her words. "No one would _ever_ say such a thing-"

"To your face," she cut him off smoothly. "What must they think though, Jag?"

His voice emerged almost as a snarl. "I don't give a _damn_ what they think."

Smiling sadly, she sat back and stared carefully into his eyes. "Clearly you _do_- else you wouldn't tell me that I can't be with you, and you wouldn't be so determined to exercise your appointed duties to the painful and bitter end."

His eyes were pained. "I can't walk away now, Jaina, surely you understand… but I won't be retaining my position once this crisis is settled, I'll resign if they don't relieve me first."

"You'll do what you must," Jaina sighed. "And I'd expect no more from you, nor anything less."

"I'm sorry."

Eyes closed, she just shook her head quietly. "Don't be; it isn't fair for me to be this frustrated, it's just… one more thing."

He frowned heavily. "One more thing?" he repeated. "What do you mean, what's going on?"

She bit her lip and looked away. There was so much she wanted to tell him… about Kyp and Leyla's conversation, about Kyp's determination that they soon needed to fully explain the circumstances in which Leyla had been conceived and born, about the discovery made by Cilghal regarding why Jaina hadn't been able to conceive another child, about the fact that she _had_… right at the wrong moment. She hadn't given it a second thought, in that time before Jag left for Csilla, once the initial awkwardness with Kyp had passed…

A large part of her wanted so badly to blurt out that she was pregnant, but… her fear of being wrong made her hesitant to say so without first speaking to Cilghal and having her run the usual tests, and she honestly wanted to be able to see him, to be held in his arms when she gave him the news about the child he had wanted…

"Nothing," she sighed. "I just miss you."

A look in his eyes suggested that he saw through the lie, but he did not press the point. "I miss you too," he replied softly. "And I'm so sorry, I truly am. I can't give you a timeframe in which I'll be home, but… my patience is wearing thin, duty or no."

"Do what you have to," she responded dully, a cold ache starting in her gut as she met his eyes and saw the regret there. She wondered what he saw in hers. "And then come home to me."

"As soon as I can," he vowed.

She took a deep breath and let it out heavily. "Jacen and I head back to Coruscant tomorrow, we'll be back in-system in three days. Can I call you then?"

He glanced over at something, checking a schedule, she guessed. "Maybe," he allowed. "I may be unreachable for some periods of time, my father and I are accompanying one of our Aristocras on a tour of one of the outer sectors of our territories. If you can't get through though, leave a message in one of the usual places, Ashik will get it to me within a day or two."

She supposed that was the best she was going to get- for some time now. "Thank you," her words came out stiffer than she'd intended, and she winced inwardly. "I'll be in touch then, Jag. Take care of yourself."

"Do you have to go already?"

Shrugging, she sighed. "I… it's late here, I'm tired."

The sad flicker of his eyes told her that he saw the real reason behind her words, but he chose not to comment. "Get some rest then, sweetheart; and I'll talk to you again before the week is out, one way or another."

With another few farewells- sweet words mumbled through terse lips- she signed off and severed the connection. Standing on numb legs, she quietly made her way out of the communications center and traversed the corridors back to her room… where Jacen was already waiting, standing outside the door and watching for her, a knowing and sad look on his face.

She let him fold her into a hug, and then pulled away to open the door. "Problems in Csilla?" he asked softly as he followed her inside.

"Nothing unexpected." He was silent for a long time, waiting for her to open up, explain the cold sadness emanating from her. "I… Jag isn't coming home yet; and he won't let me come there. Too much going on, too much hostility towards the Galactic Alliance, towards the Jedi…" _Towards Kyp… and by proxy, towards me and Leyla… _

"I'm sorry." He sat beside her on the bed and hugged her sideways. She slumped against him and breathed deeply, unwilling to let herself become too frustrated or saddened by this. She was a Jedi; she could handle anything.


	9. Part 8

**Part VIII**

"Are you sure you want me to stay behind, sir?" Ashik's concern was mildly touching, and remarkably uncharacteristic among the Chiss who generally took things in stride with a stoic acceptance. It was one of the many things that Jag liked about him though, and was why he had heightened him to the position of assistant and body guard- he wasn't afraid to speak his mind and voice his concerns.

He nodded curtly, a headache beginning to build at his temples as he prepared to depart with his father and Aristocra Formbi. "Yes, Ashik- you know I can take care of myself, and I need you to monitor the situation here- with my father and the Aristocra gone from Csilla, I need you to keep an eye on whoever tries to make a move in the government. And…"

"You await a message from your wife?"

"Yes," he sighed. "She is supposed to attempt to contact me within the next day or two, please see that I get any forwarded messages as fast as possible." Ashik simply nodded, too professional to pry into a personal matter, though Jag almost wished he would; in the Chiss society, there was no room for personal problems in the public setting, and even in Jag's family's house, such things were rarely spoken of, now that his prying younger sister was grown up and moved away. To suddenly express his melancholy over the way the last conversation with Jaina had ended would be… frowned upon. Attempting a slight smile towards Ashik, he finished fastening his travel case and stood. "You do good work, Ashik; remind me to give you a raise when I'm back."

His purplish lips twitched. "As ordered, Colonel." He hesitated a moment. "If I may…"

"Go ahead."

"I… be careful, sir."

Jag stared at him a moment, wondering what Ashik possibly saw that he didn't; then again, he was paid to ensure his protection, so it was hardly unreasonable that the chiss male be concerned, given the situation of things. "I always am, Ashik." He took two steps towards the door and stopped with his hand poised above the release button. "Keep your eyes open in my absence, and if you _do_ receive a transmission from Jaina personally, tell her…" he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Never mind; just try to patch it through to me and have her leave a recorded message otherwise, and I'll get back to her as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

Stiffly, he depressed the release and exited the room, heading to join his father and Aristocra Formbi at the landing pad attached to the estate.

X-X-X-X

Standing and stretching after a long session with Tionne- a pleasant combination of history, meditation, and music- Leyla decided that the time spent with the silver-haired woman was probably her favorite in terms of her lessons. Tionne Solusar had a captivating voice and her lessons always contained an element of adventure, mystery, or heroism which kept them interesting, regardless of the subject matter.

Today's lecture had been about a female duros Jedi in the ancient days before the Old Republic who had devoted years of her life to halting the slavery of her people, and Leyla continued to reflect on the tale of her struggles and the heart wrenching sacrifices she had made on behalf of the anonymous masses of her home world; she was still thinking about it as she absently chose some suitable food for her lunch and took up a seat at an empty table, after scanning to see that Ben was nowhere around yet, nor were his friends Battek and Tivan.

Consequently, she was more absent-minded than usual and was surprised when a human male- young, but a good few years older than she was- slid in the seat across from her and smiled, and he was soon joined by a willowy humanoid female who might have been omwati, she thought.

"Welcome to Ossus," the boy said.

She cocked a brow wryly. "I've been here a couple weeks," she pointed out good-naturedly. "But thanks."

"Oh, we know," he smiled again. "We saw you come in, but we left early the next morning for a sort of camping-exploration trip… you'll do it when you've been here awhile too," he nodded sagely. "So we never got the chance to introduce ourselves." He seemed awfully excited to be meeting an eleven-year-old girl, she thought, but maybe they were just really friendly. "I'm Abei and this is Ziv."

"Leyla," she nodded politely, eyes narrowing marginally as she tried to figure out what Abei wanted. "How long have you been students here?"

He thought back. "I've been here for about three years, since I was twelve," Abei said thoughtfully. "Ziv, for about four, right?" The female nodded, eyes friendly, but remained silent. "Is there anything we can help you out with?"

"No," she replied evenly, "but I'm beginning to think that there's something _I_ can help _you_ out with…"

Abei blinked once in surprise, going slightly pink in the cheeks as his friendly, diverting ploy met an untimely end. "No," he hastened to assure her, "not help. I just wanted to ask… we saw you come in with Master Kyp Durron," his tone became slightly awed. "Were you apprenticing with him or something?"

The last part came out in a rush and Leyla stared at him, surprised. "I- no," she stumbled. "He was just bringing me to start my training here at the academy. Why?" she was legitimately confused by their interest.

"Oh, he's fascinating," the omwati, Ziv, broke in. "He usually comes by once a year or so to give a lecture to some of the older students."

"Really?" she asked curiously. Kyp hadn't mentioned that to her, though she supposed that she _had_ been aware of him traveling to Ossus once in a while….

"Sure," Abei breathed. "I mean, he is like, the best living authority on the dark side of the Force, isn't he? At least, the best who doesn't _use_ the dark side anymore…"

"Well of course he doesn't," she snapped, suddenly feeling a little sensitive towards this line of conversation. "He's on the Masters' Council back on Coruscant."

Ziv must have sensed a bit of her consternation because she smiled reassuringly. "We know," she soothed. "It's just interesting to hear someone talk about what it's been like to fall to the dark side- _twice_- and what it's like trying to move on and recover after being redeemed."

"Yeah," Abei nodded somberly, "even the thought of moving on after killing _millions_ of people…" he shuddered. Something of the cold unease settling in Leyla's stomach must have shown in her eyes, because he quickly backtracked. "I mean… they were mostly Imperial military, I guess," he assured her. "Years ago, when the New Republic was still fighting what was left of the old Empire. But you'll hear all about it from him after you've been around for a couple of years."

"He told me about it already," she bit curtly. That was something of a half-truth. She had known about Kyp's dark past, learning about his second fall when she was seven and her mother was explaining why they had hidden her from him, and she was vaguely aware of the fact that many people still found Kyp controversial because of things he had done as a young man not much older than she was now… but millions of people…? "Some, anyway," she muttered. "Millions, you say?"

The other two shrugged uneasily, perhaps realizing that they shouldn't have brought this up in the first place; ironically, for entirely wrong reasons. "Sure; he turned some Imperial superweapon back on their best training academy. And during the Yuuzhan Vong war, there was the whole fiasco with him using Jaina Solo to help him kill enemy civilians…"

"What?" she blurted the question with more feeling than she had intended.

"Yeah, well… he didn't say it was _her_… but everyone knows about how they were, you know… a couple for a while, until she realized what he had done and left, and that's what made him go dark _again_…"

Ziv grinned. "It's almost romantic…"

"Oh, here you go again…"

"He was _sooo_ in love that he fell to the dark side when she broke up with him!" Ziv smiled mischievously. "And then years later, he helps rescue her daughter as some sort of redemption to earn her forgiveness finally…"

"Puh-lease… you just have a crush on Master Durron…"

"Do not! I just think he has sort of a tragic story, you know?"

The two seemed to almost forget the wide-eyed adolescent across the table from them. Her knuckles were going white as she gripped the edge of the bench on which she sat perched on the edge, and she stared at a distant point past Abei's head.

What had her mother said, so long ago now? That Kyp had been mad at the Yuuzhan Vong, and _that_ had driven him to do bad things… not that he had done them because her mom had hurt him first by leaving him… not that she had _helped_ him do bad things like kill non-soldier Yuuzhan Vong…

"Leyla?"

She blinked and looked up into the concerned face of her cousin, Ben.

"Are you alright?"

She started and glanced at Abei and Ziv, who had ceased arguing at Ben's approach, or perhaps upon realizing the sudden paleness of Leyla's face, the utter stillness of her body as her mind raced hundreds of kilometers an hour.

"Should I get mom?" Ben leaned close to peer into her face.

"No," she forced herself to say. "No, I'm fine. Just… trying to understand something. Family things," she shrugged apologetically and attempted a half-smile.

Ben chuckled and shook his head ruefully. "Don't even attempt it; I gave up years ago trying to understand most of what goes on around our family."

Surprise emanated from Abei and Ziv. "_Our_ family?" Ziv queried. "You're related?"

"Sure," Ben turned to her in surprise. "Cousins… second cousins, actually."

Abei shot her a piercing look. "That would make you the daughter of…"

"My cousin Jaina," Ben supplied off-handedly.

"I have to go," Leyla said faintly as a calculating apprehension washed over the two who had moments before been arguing playfully. "I need to talk to…" she paused and froze.

Who could she talk to? She had been lied to, that much was obvious. Her mother had told her something completely different about Kyp's fall to the dark side than Kyp had apparently told the students on Ossus. Or were the students wrong? Could some odd combination of _both_ stories occurred… a certain point of view, as her great-uncle Luke liked saying?

There was one person who she knew would be honest and straightforward with her, if she asked a direct question. Her foster father, who she had believed to be her true father until the age of seven, who had immediately acknowledged the truth when she asked it of him…

Without another thought, she headed for the comm center; she needed to speak with her dad.

X-X-X-X

When his father's Corellian Corvette- a testament to his lingering affections for certain elements of his homeworld- dropped out of hyperspace near the edges of Chiss space, the control panel immediately pinged with an awaiting message. "For you," Soontir murmured over his shoulder as Ashik's face appeared on the screen.

"_Colonel Fel_," his assistant spoke quickly and quietly, _"your daughter contacted me from Ossus and requests that you speak with her at your earliest convenience. She seemed well, albeit mildly distraught_."

Jag stared at the screen a moment, unsettled. It struck him odd that Leyla would comm him and not Jaina or Kyp, knowing full well that they were better positioned at the moment to be of help to her. Then again, with Jaina flying about with her brother, and perhaps Kyp was busy too…

"Use the private terminal just off the bridge," his father suggested in a surprisingly gentle voice. Nodding jerkily, he stood swiftly and made his way from the navigation station to the indicated station where he could shut himself in and place the transmission, to Csilla first.

He didn't have to wait long, despite the fact that a quick calculation told him that it was late on the icy planet. "Ashik," he nodded in greeting as the blue face appeared before him. "Leyla contacted you?"

"Yes, sir," he confirmed. "Just over two hours ago."

"And she didn't say what she wanted?"

"No, sir," his assistant shook his head. "But she was remarkably adamant that I pass along the message for you to get into contact with her."

He sighed, worried. "Any word from Jaina?"

"Not yet."

Perhaps she was still in transit then. "Can you get me through to Ossus?" Ashik nodded and he sat back to wait for the transmission link to establish itself, and then anticipated another lengthy wait while Leyla was tracked down.

It surprised him, therefore, when it only took ten minutes for both tasks to be accomplished. For a long moment, he took in his daughter's wide brown eyes, the terse set of her mouth, her stiff composure… "Hi, sweetheart," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes flashed once in nervous consternation, and he was alarmed to see tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. "You would never lie to me, would you?" she spoke so quietly that the sound was barely picked up over the transmission. "I mean, if I asked you a direct question…?"

He studied her, an uncomfortable feeling beginning to settle in his stomach. "I would never lie to you," he acknowledged. "Though I won't deny that there are times when we are not ready for the full truth."

Nodding, the first tears escaping on her cheeks, she glanced to the side before resolutely meeting his gaze once more. "Why did Kyp turn to the dark side during the Yuuzhan Vong war?"

For a moment, he closed his eyes, wondering how they could have been so stupid as to assume that she wouldn't hear things about Kyp's past when she made the journey to the academy. "We've talked about this, Leyla," he murmured. "Kyp… he was too angry, too upset with what they were doing to the galaxy, it made him aggressive and violent."

"So that's it?" she quirked her head slightly to the side. "He was mad, and just like that, he fell to the dark side again?"

Alarm bells were ringing in his head. "Nothing is that simple," he stated evenly. "Leyla, maybe this would be easier if you told me what you're trying to get at…"

"Was it mom's fault?"

He blinked twice, slowly. "Was it her fault that… Kyp got mad and turned to the dark side?" he asked carefully.

"He loved her, didn't he?" she pressed on. "I mean like… like you love her, not like family…"

"Leyla, you know that your mother and Kyp dated before she and I did, a long time ago…"

"But it was more than that, wasn't it?" she exclaimed. "He was _in love_ with her, and she was pregnant, and she left him, and it made him sad and angry, didn't it? He turned to the dark side because mom hurt him, didn't she?"

"_No_," Jag stressed. "Don't you blame your mother for something like that." Leyla sat back, eyes wide, tirade ceased. "Kyp was already skirting the dark side, and he used her to do a bad thing-"

"To kill civilians?"

"Yes. He lied to her and she was upset, so she left him. It _did_ hurt him, and maybe it was the final push that sent him over the edge, but you cannot blame her for the decision she made to do so."

"But she was pregnant!"

Jag sat back and ran a hand over his eyes. "No," he said softly, "she wasn't."

X-X-X-X

When he walked numbly back to the bridge half an hour later, Jag was in something of a daze, his eyes glassy and distant. "Son?" Soontir peered at him. "Are you okay?"

Jag looked up at him and blinked. "Am I okay?" he laughed bitterly. "Father… I just had to tell my daughter from hundreds of light-years away that she was born because her biological father raped her mother and used the Force to ensure that she conceived his child- all while said father was deeply enthralled with the dark side and her mother was all of eighteen years old. No, father; I'm not okay."

A glimmer of horrified understanding flashed in Soontir's eyes. "Jagged…"

He held up a hand and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against a bulkhead. "I'm sorry, father; I can't do it. I would never want to do something that could reflect poorly on you, on your time among the Chiss, on my own upbringing… but I cannot put my duty to the Ascendancy ahead of my family while it falls apart across the galaxy. Leyla needs me, Jaina needs me… I will see this mission through, and when we return to Csilla, I will be resigning my post and leaving the Ascendancy for good. If the Chiss will not approve of my family and all of the ensuing connections there entailed, then there is nothing left for me here."

"I'm sorry to hear that, young master Fel," he whirled to face Aristocra Formbi, who had approached silently. "But we all must draw a line somewhere," he murmured, peering out the forward viewport. As they looked, a glimmer of space signaled the reversion of a half-dozen ships to real space. He frowned and turned towards one of the stations on the bridge, gesturing silently as a slight flurry of activity accompanied the arrival of unexpected vessels. "Pirates?" he queried softly, to anyone and no one.

"Ours," Soontir shook his head.

Formbi pursed his lips and sighed as the small fleet made steady progress towards them.

"My only concern is that you will not find it so easy."


	10. Part 9

**A/N: **As a weekend present, I think you'll be getting three chapters today instead of just two. Whoo!

**Part IX**

"Leyla, stop." She did so, but did not turn to face her great-aunt Mara, who was approaching the comm center from the opposite direction to the one in which Leyla was attempting to flee unnoticed. "You're in turmoil and you're angry."

"Shouldn't I be?" she demanded softly. "They lied to me, all of them."

Mara's voice was sharp. "Did they lie? Or were they just protecting you from a hard truth that you were too young to understand for a long time?" The girl said nothing, but turned to lean heavily against the wall, refusing to meet her aunt's eyes.

"You knew." It was not a question.

"Yes; but it was never my story to tell. Nor was it your grandparents', your uncle's… your parents- all three of them- made a hard decision a long time ago about what to tell you and when. That plan was derailed four years ago, when you found out Kyp was your father but were still too young to fully comprehend the dark side, to understand how and why he did what he did. He repented, he's made amends, he's been forgiven by Jaina and Jag- that should be enough for you."

She bit her lip. "I had a right to know."

Mara bit down on her rising temper. "Yes, eventually; do you think I told Ben when he was still just a child that I used to work for the Emperor, that I was his personal _assassin_?" Leyla flinched. "Your parents' decisions were made for good reasons, Leyla, do not punish them for trying to protect you. It changes nothing about who you are, about your relationship with your parents, with Kyp."

But as she looked into the devastatingly stoic face of her great-niece, Mara wasn't entirely sure about that.

X-X-X-X

Jaina and Jacen descended through the space lanes of Coruscant, always teeming with traffic, regardless of the time of day. Despite the hundreds of times when Jaina had made nearly identical approaches and landings in the hangar of the Jedi temple and other places around the city-planet, she was distracted and having trouble concentrating this particular entry- and as much as she tried to deny it, it was due to her last conversation with Jag.

Perhaps she had been mildly unfair. But she had been so frustrated, and it had caused her to lash out at Jag for being… well, for being himself. Jag's duty was almost as much a part of him as his love for her and for Leyla was, and it was not fair for her to blame him for the bad timing of the political turmoil in the Ascendancy.

Trying to keep that firmly in mind as she settled her StealthX down on the durocrete of the hangar bay beside Jacen's own fighter, she removed her flight helmet, unfastened the collar of her flight suit, and swung herself over the edge of the cockpit to perch lightly before dropping softly to the ground. Opposite her, Jacen was doing the same, removing his helmet and dropping it behind him back into the cockpit before descending. Dirt was smudged around his eyes where the goggles rested against his face, and she grinned as the effect took years off of his features.

"You could use a sanisteam yourself," he commented wryly, clearly picking up on her amusement and line of thought.

"Later," she shrugged and headed towards the bay doors. Jacen fell into step beside her. "I need to check on messages and…"

"Get a call through to Jag?" he queried.

Flashing a semi-guilty smile, she nodded. "I was a little abrupt when we talked a few days ago," she conceded. "I should apologize."

Her twin studied her a moment. "Are you going to tell him…?"

"Not yet. I still want to wait. If he doesn't make it back in another month, well…"

"Mom will figure it out, you know," he warned. "And Uncle Luke. You're practically glowing like an ion efflux just thinking about it."

Clamping down on her tentative happiness as she thought about what Jag's reaction would be to her news, whether it was in person or otherwise, Jaina darted down a side corridor towards a communications center. "I'll see you later, okay?" she called over her shoulder.

He sketched a sarcastic salute against his forehead and continued the way they had been going to check in with their uncle.

The first thing Jaina did as she settled herself behind the console was to key in her private encryption that was linked to their apartment comm unit. In the three days since she'd last checked, she only had two messages. Noting serenely that one was from Jag, she chose to save that one and first selected the one from Ossus, curiosity peaking.

It was not Leyla though, who appeared before her, but her aunt Mara.

"_Jaina, I know you're probably not going to get this for another day or so, but don't worry, no emergency; I just want to talk to you when you get a chance and… you might want to bring Kyp." _

That was strange. Jaina frowned at her aunt's fading visage, but decided against contacting the flame-haired woman immediately- she had said no emergency, after all. Instead, she selected the remaining message, the one from Jag, and smiled… before her expression fell at the distress in his eyes, clearly visible as much as he tried to keep the emotion from his face.

"_Jaina, I'm sorry; you were right, I'm letting my duty come before more important things. Please contact me as soon as you can, but know that I'll be returning home as soon as we make it back to Csilla. I estimate a week or less before I am en route back to Coruscant." _His eyes flickered once before softening ever so slightly. _"I love you, darling, and I'll be home to you soon. I promise- and this one, I intend to keep."_

She should have been ecstatic; instead, all she felt was guilt. Had her sharp words with him caused this obvious distress, made him question everything he had ever been and believed in?

Message from Mara all but forgotten, she quickly started the transmission sequence to reach Ashik, who she knew remained behind on Csilla, but would track down Jag for her. As the link established itself, she did a quick calculation and flushed guiltily as she realized that it would be in the middle of the night there; surprisingly though, Ashik's face appeared almost immediately before her once the connection was secured, and he did not appear to have been asleep.

"Ashik," she smiled tentatively. "I'm sorry to call so late."

He waved aside her concern. "I am not inconvenienced, Jedi Solo-Fel," he always addressed her by her title, despite her constant entreaties that he call her by her given name; this time, she didn't bother.

"I wonder if you are aware if Jag is available for comm traffic at the moment?"

A flash of worry darted across the blue face. "I have not been able to contact him since late yesterday," he told her. "Though that is hardly cause for concern, given the isolation of the sector where he traveled with General Fel and Aristocra Formbi."

"But you_ are _concerned?" she asked shrewdly.

"Observant as ever," he bowed his head gravely. "It is likely nothing…" he hesitated. "Colonel Fel took a call from your daughter yesterday- regarding what matter, I am unaware," he answered her unspoken question. "And afterwards, he bade me to forward his holomessage to you, and I have not heard from him since. He seemed… ill-at-ease."

As she was now. "It's nothing, Ashik," she said slowly. "Family problems; I wouldn't give it much thought." The chiss male looked only mildly reassured. "Needless to say, I'm back on Coruscant; whenever Jag does break comm silence, will you tell him that I got his message and commed?"

"Of course, ma'am."

"Thank you."

When the image dissolved, she sat and stared impassively at the screen for a moment. Her broodings were interrupted however, when her comlink beeped. "Yes," she called absently as she depressed the button.

"_Jaina_," it was Jacen, "_Uncle_ _Luke wants you in the Council chamber when you get a minute_."

She only tarried a moment as she signed out of the system and grabbed her small canvas bag with a change of clothing. Feeling dirty from spending days stuck in her StealthX cockpit, she decided to simply throw on a cloak over the wrinkled and sweaty flight suit. With that, she was on her way out of the door towards the higher levels of the temple.

X-X-X-X

"What's going on?" Kyp murmured as he slid into a seat beside Luke. "Omas hasn't graced us with his presence in a while now…even his virtual one…"

Luke smiled ruefully but held up a hand for silence as the room filled and holos appeared of absent Masters, including Kam and Tionne Solusar and Mara on Ossus. The usual suspects filed in, looking mildly curious but sitting down in the circle without comment.

"Master Skywalker?" the forever-harried voice of Cal Omas emitted from a speaker below a large screen, where Omas himself occupied the right half; it was divided, and moments later an elderly blue face appeared on the left half, sharply juxtaposed against the GA chief-of-state. "Are you prepared to begin?"

Kyp saw Luke glance up at the sound of the door opening a last time; he followed his gaze, and saw the diminutive, cloaked figure duck in apologetically, settling down in the back unobtrusively. "We are," Kyp turned his attention back to Luke as the Jedi Master addressed Omas. "Can I inquire as to the topic of this conference?"

"I will answer that," the chiss spoke silkily. "Master Skywalker, I have been nominated to represent the Ruling Families at this… difficult time for us all."

Luke quirked a brow. "I see, Aristocra… Mitt'royvr'yni," he pulled the name from his mind directly, making the chiss scowl slightly before he mastered his expression. "And what news do you bring from the Ascendancy that concerns the Jedi, as well as Chief Omas?" he nodded politely towards the image of the latter.

"An unpleasant business to be sure," he returned. "Chief Omas, Master Skywalker… it is my solemn duty to inform you that, by majority vote of the cabinet and parliament, and by unanimous consent of the council of the Ruling Families, the Ascendancy is hereby seceding from the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances."

A ripple of surprise and hushed murmurs spread across the chamber, including a particularly strong spark of alarmed surprise from the back of the room…

"I see," Luke said slowly as Omas spluttered and attempted to regain his composure. "I must confess myself confused, Aristocra, and I imagine Chief Omas would say the same. I thought the issue was more divided, we've been working with Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano for months now to try to bridge our differences before we split completely. Has he then changed his mind, if you say the vote was unanimous among the ruling council?"

A fast look passed over Mitt'royvr'yni's face. "I am also duly appointed to inform you of the unfortunate demise of the honorable Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano," he said in a somber voice, tinged with a terseness that put Kyp on edge.

Luke looked stunned. "How did this come about?" he demanded.

"A sad matter," the elderly chiss said coolly. "Unavoidable though; a simple accident, but a deadly one."

"I see…"

Kyp's attention drifted again towards the back of the room, where surprise was being slowly replaced by confusion maybe…

"As you know," Mitt'royvr'vni continued quickly, "we are a non-aggressive people, we have no qualm with the Galactic Alliance, we simply do not feel it to be suited for us anymore. I hope our respective peoples can maintain friendly relations through this political split," the look on his face suggested just how apathetic he felt about the idea either way.

Omas finally found his voice. "Wait just a moment," he demanded. "What happened to diplomacy? Why is Ambassador Fel suddenly silent on this matter? He's been working hard to bridge the gap between our peoples for years, Aristocra!"

For a long moment, red eyes glided over the room as he hesitated. "My apologies, Chief Omas," he finally murmured. "I did not fully explain the situation; Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano met his demise in an accident aboard General Soontir Fel's corvette during a reconnaissance mission to the outskirts of our territories; the bridge was almost entirely destroyed in an explosion.

"The general and his son were killed as well."


	11. Part 10

**A/N: **_**Marsk**_- Leslie Nielsen! :-( (And don't call me Shirley…) :P

**Part X**

For five seconds, there was a total, horrified silence in which everyone stared blankly at the calm, mildly saddened chiss male; everyone save Kyp, who whirled around in his seat in time to see Jaina rise slowly to her feet, eyes wide and blank, face deathly pale. For a moment, he thought she was going to start yelling- and then she began shaking.

"Corran!" he barked at the stunned man who was seated beside the young woman. The sound of his voice accomplished two things; first, Corran Horn jumped to his feet and pulled Jaina against him as she shook and the devastation poured off of her in the Force. Second, the rest of the room exploded in an uproar of outrage, and a quick glance at Luke showed that he was too shocked to attempt to quell it. Instead, Saba Sebatyne stood and pounded her tail heavily against the floor, attempting to restore order among the suddenly unruly gathering of Masters. "Corran, get her out of here," Kyp shouted over the din. "Find Jacen, he was roaming about outside a few minutes ago."

Her legs seemed barely able to function, but Jaina allowed Corran to pull her away, one of his arms firmly around her shoulders, probably to prevent her from collapsing in her grief-stricken state. Once she was out of earshot, Kyp spun back to the screen and raised his voice above the remaining hubbub.

"Aristocra, that was unforgivably tactless and cruel," he bit, a hard and cold edge firmly established in his voice.

The red eyes hardened further. "My apologies," he said silkily. "I was led to believe that I was conferring with the Master's Council."

His tone snapped Luke from his reverie, and he looked around as Kyp responded icily. "Do not attempt to deceive a room full of Jedi; you knew damn well that she would be invited to this meeting, given her personal interest in the matters of the Ascendancy."

"Peace, Kyp," Luke muttered wearily, holding up a hand. "Aristocra, I sincerely hope that…" he trailed away, eyes becoming distant and unfocused… and then Kyp felt it too, like a hammer to the side of his head.

"Leyla," he murmured under his breath, putting his head in one hand as though to help ease the blow that accompanied the force of her pain.

"Mara," Luke choked out. "Where…?"

"I'll find her," the holo of Mara Jade Skywalker disappeared.

A solemn quiet had fallen once more over the chamber, and Cal Omas seemed to again be shocked into spluttering silence. "Aristocra," Luke finally managed again, rubbing at his temples as he spoke, and Kyp was also still trying to keep the emotional turmoil at bay, "please excuse if this question offends; but why do I have the feeling that this 'accident' was nothing of the sort?"

"The Chiss are above such tactics when dealing with political conflict, _Master_ Skywalker," Mitt'royvr'yni had apparently lost much of his own composure following Kyp's onslaught. "Do not attempt to sully our society with your conspiracy theories of political assassinations and the like."

"You said it," Kyp muttered, earning a quick look from Luke that was more warning than admonishment.

"My apologies then," Luke said evenly, eyes never leaving the cold, red ones of the chiss male. "It just seems unfortunately coincidental that three leading advocates for reform are suddenly… and conveniently… neutralized at once like this." Kyp could read the pain in his eyes as he said it, and he again attempted to pull his own awareness in close, to ward off the emotions registering from Jaina and Leyla… Jacen's shock was beginning to seep through too, and Leia's devastated realization as she probably sifted through the range of pained feelings that were sudden barraging every Jedi around…

"I wonder if you can relay to us the condition of the rest of the family?" Luke finished calmly.

The Aristocra eyed him curiously. "Even if there were a plot against the reformists, you wouldn't need to fear for Syal Antilles Fel, nor for young Wynssa; were you aware of our customs and social structures, you would know that you cannot marry into a dynastic clan; you can only be born into it, and Wynssa forsook her claim to her Fel heritage among us when she joined the Imperial Remnant."

Kyp's blood ran cold, and Luke shot a glance his way before haltingly speaking again, testing the waters… "Aristocra, I sincerely hope that is not any sort of a warning or threat directed towards my great-niece."

Mitt'royvr'yni's lip curled. "As I said, Master Skywalker- you can only be born into a clan… and among the Chiss, bloodlines are _very_ important." His gaze drifted around the room until it finally settled over Kyp. "I trust we understand one another, Master Durron?"

Some of those in the room understood, some didn't. It didn't matter. "Your point is well made, Aristocra," Kyp responded stiffly. "If you'll excuse me…" he pulled himself to his feet numbly and forced himself to walk steadily from the chamber, finally falling sideways against a cool stone wall after the door slammed shut once more.

He couldn't think, could barely breathe as he leaned against the temple wall. Hurrying footsteps forced him to focus, however, and he looked up as Jacen came careening back down the corridor, skidding to a halt when he saw the older Jedi Master.

"Where is she?" Kyp asked, voice finally cracking under the grief twisting through him; he couldn't even tell how much of the grief was his own, and how much he was still retaining from Jaina and Leyla.

"Medical," Jacen gasped, catching his breath. "Master Horn is still up there with her, I'm going to meet my parents in the lower hangar, they'll be here any minute…"

Kyp waved him on and then went in the opposite direction, towards the medical center near the middle of the temple complex. Later, he was never sure how he made the walk, he couldn't remember it at all; vaguely aware of punching buttons on the turbolift, he suddenly found himself standing outside the small room where he and Jaina had argued in front of Cilghal, just weeks ago now, but feeling as though a lifetime had passed…

The door opened and Corran admitted him, concern etched on his face. "Cilghal sedated her a bit," he murmured under his breath. "To try to calm her down…" Kyp blinked in surprise at the Jedi healer, not having even noticed her absence during the meeting downstairs. Then he turned his attention to the bed, and his heart caught in his throat.

She looked almost childlike in her helplessness. Small already, the image was heightened by the large cloak which she was clutching around herself as she lay curled on her side, fingers unrelenting as the tan cloth twisted in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her face was red; Kyp suspected that she had been gasping and sobbing, until the sedation took effect. "Jaina," he murmured, but there was nothing to be said.

Her world had just come crashing down around her. What was he _supposed_ to say?

X-X-X-X

Vulcor found her first. It was early evening on Ossus, and she had been wandering the grounds around the temple with Ben, judging by the fact that he found them together. She was kneeling on the ground, her head clutched in her hands, crying and shaking, wailing incoherent noises that may or may not have lent him a better clue as to what was wrong if he could have deciphered them.

"What is it?" he demanded, kneeling beside Ben, who had his arms wrapped around his cousin, but looked lost and helpless as to how to make it stop, how to get her to stop crying. "What's happened?"

But Leyla just continued sobbing and her head shook back and forth, her hair whipping around her face with the motion.

"I don't know!" Ben cried. "She just… _collapsed_. Jaina… Jaina's hurt I think…" but Leyla again shook her head and tried to speak through her tears, but failed epically once more.

Vulcor did not know what was wrong, but he knew that sitting out in the evening forest air wouldn't help fix the problem; scooping the crying girl into his arms, he set a quick pace back towards the temple, relieved to see Mara come flying out of the building as they were approaching. "Master Skywalker!" he called, but she was already heading their way, had clearly felt the young girl's distress much as he had.

"Mom!" Ben dashed up to her. "Something's wrong with Leyla…" he trailed away at the grief displayed on Mara's face as she came even with Vulcor. "Mom?" he whispered.

"It's Jag," she murmured. "Come on," she summoned Vulcor forward, leading them back into the building. "We'll take her to the infirmary."

X-X-X-X

Corran excused himself when Jacen returned with Han and Leia; both of the newcomers had red eyes, and Leia seemed to tremble as she slowly approached the bed where Jaina had finally ceased crying, but was lying in the curled position still, arms wrapped around her stomach, eyes closed. Kyp sat beside her, but no words of comfort had been found in the ten or so minutes since he had arrived.

"She… she's sedated?" Han choked out.

"Yes," Cilghal said gravely. "A low dose; enough to calm her, not enough to send her into unconsciousness."

"Why?" All eyes swung to Kyp. "She's hurting!" he cried. "Maybe the best thing to do would be to let her sleep for a few hours…"

Cilghal's eyes flickered over to meet Jacen's, and then both looked down at Jaina.

"What?" Kyp demanded. "What was that look for? What did I miss?"

"Nothing, Kyp," Jacen said wearily, avoiding his eyes. "It was my call; avoiding the pain for a few hours won't make it hurt less when she wakes."

Kyp stared at him. "You're a bad liar, Jacen Solo. I don't know what your reasoning is, but I disagree. Anyway," he forced himself back to his feet. "I need to contact Mara; I think Leyla _has_ been sedated, I can't feel her too strongly anymore…"

Leyla…

He whipped around to stare at Jaina again. "No," he said dumbly. "You aren't…?"

"Kyp?" Leia put a tentative hand on his arm.

But the blood had left his face in a hurry, and he could feel the truth of his guess in Jacen's aura, and in Cilghal's… and the flicker of acknowledgement from Jaina's vaguely aware mind… "Oh, Jaina…" he sat heavily and pulled her hand into his. She squeezed it hard, and tears again began to slip past her lashes and spill over onto her cheeks.

"What?" Han asked, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

It was quiet for a minute, no one wanting to be the one to admit the real reason that Cilghal wouldn't drug Jaina too heavily… but then it was the mildly sedated girl who spoke, softly and brokenly.

"I… I'm pregnant."

X-X-X-X

When the transmission ended and the Aristocra's infuriatingly calm blue face dissolved back into nothingness on that half of the screen, most of the Masters sat in saddened silence; even those who had never met Jag knew Jaina, and her pain and grief affected them all profoundly.

It was Cal Omas who broke the somber silence, speaking softly and hesitantly. "Master Skywalker… I wonder if you shouldn't take immediate action to protect your great-niece…?"

"Mara is with her," Tionne put in quickly, tears shimmering through on her cheeks even in holographic form. "I'm sure she's fine for the moment…"

Luke held up a hand, forcing himself to think. "Kam, Tionne… tell Mara to get her on a shuttle to Coruscant as soon as is practical."

An uncomfortable silence met his words. "Master Skywalker," Omas put in slowly, "if the girl is to be a target- assuming the worst about the deaths of her father and grandfather of course," he flushed slightly as he caught himself flatly refusing to believe that it was an accident, "I wonder if that is the wisest course of action…?"

"She won't be a target," Luke said softly. "The Aristocra's words, cold though they may have been, were a reassurance, not a warning."

Omas blinked a few times. "I don't understand; he said that family legacies can only be inherited, and if factions among the Chiss are out to eliminate the Fel line-"

"Come now, Chief Omas," Luke chided humorlessly. "You cannot be so insulated against rumor and gossip as this- why do you think he directed his comments towards Kyp Durron? Leyla is a Fel in name only, not blood."

Some of the Masters knew this to be true already- namely Kenth Hamner and Saba Sebatyne, who had been present for the final confrontation with Wrynn, when he had tried to distract Kyp by speculating- correctly- about the relationship between him and Leyla. Others had heard the rumors and accepted them or rejected them with varying degrees of relative disinterest.

"Understood," Omas returned slowly, apparently blindsided by Luke's ready acknowledgement of what had so long been held secret or at least ambiguous.

"Chief, I imagine you have concerns to attend among your cabinet and in the senate, in light of these developments…"

"Of course," Omas murmured. "I'll leave you to take care of yours, Masters. I shall be in touch. Out."

When his visage disappeared, Luke slumped back in his seat, and his face appeared to have aged ten years in ten minutes. "Master," Hamner spoke lowly, "not to add to the concerns of the moment… but surely you realize that Chief Omas must have had a number of advisors listening in quietly to that transmission…" Luke just turned and eyed him inquisitively, silently asking his point. "By this time tomorrow, rumor will be acknowledged fact."

"Yes," Luke muttered wearily. "And by admitting the truth of the matter, it will guarantee that the Chiss never give a second thought to Leyla again."


	12. Part 11

**A/N: **_**Future ADA**_- *hands tissue* :-/

**Part XI**

Luke met Han, Leia, and Kyp outside the med center. "Have you contacted Ossus yet?" he asked the younger Jedi Master. Kyp shook his head, sorrowful eyes raised to meet the cool blue ones steadily. "How is she?" he directed the question to all three of them.

"Well as to be expected," Han muttered bitterly. "When the drugs wear off…" he shrugged helplessly.

"Sedative?" Luke queried distractedly, still trying to think.

Kyp beckoned them into a nearby, empty room. "In here," he bit tersely. Luke eyed him curiously as he shut the door behind them and turned around. "Master Skywalker, we have a problem- Jaina's pregnant."

Luke hissed a breath and let it out as a sigh. "How far along?" he asked, raising a hand to his brow and rubbing at his eyes.

"According to Jacen, she only realized herself while they were on their mission to Reecee; a month, at most. Cilghal should have a more accurate idea soon."

Leia held up a hand. "I'm not sure I understand the concern…?"

"Bloodlines are very important," Kyp muttered, echoing the Aristocra's earlier words. "Any child of Jag _will_ be a target, the Aristocra inadvertently said as much; he just thought he was negating our concern for Leyla. In an aristocratic, clan-based culture like that, a blood descendant could reclaim lost titles and the like upon reaching the age of maturity- and that age is decidedly low for the Chiss."

Han looked ready to punch a wall, and Leia's eyes were watering again. "Look," Luke sighed, "this is at least something we don't have to worry about tonight. If no one knows besides us, the twins, and Cilghal…" he trailed away, eyeing Kyp for confirmation, who nodded, "then the obvious thing is to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"What about Leyla?" Kyp asked quietly.

Luke pursed his lips. "You'll have to judge what kind of state she's in to keep the secret," he looked apologetic. "I've asked Kam and Tionne to tell Mara to find a way to get Leyla here as soon as possible, but I still need to contact her. Kyp, if you'd like to join me?"

Kyp followed him wordlessly from the room, leaving Han and Leia behind. They looked at each other for a long moment, shock and worry and sadness etched across their features. Then, Han folded his wife into a tight embrace, resting his cheek atop her head while they tried to get their own emotions under control before returning to the room where Jacen sat with Jaina.

Jacen pressed a finger to his lips. "I think she finally cried herself to sleep," he murmured lowly as he carefully extracted his hand from his sister's grasp, wriggling the fingers to regain circulation. Standing stiffly, he retreated to the far side of the room where their hushed voices would be less likely to disturb the sleeping young woman.

"So… now what?"

X-X-X-X

There were no loving greetings, pleasantries of any sort… "We'll be en route within the hour," Mara said quickly and distractedly. "I'm bringing her myself, Ben will come with us. He's already helping get some of her stuff together for the trip."

"How is she?" Kyp quickly asked.

A shadow passed over Mara's face. "I don't think I've ever seen a reaction like that, Kyp," she said softly. "I made the call to sedate her, she was going to make herself sick and… Tionne is still calming a few of the other more perceptive- and affected- students."

"Leyla has always been attuned to others' emotions," Luke commented hollowly, thinking back to years ago when he had seen the not-quite-two-year-old register a brief melancholy from Kyp and, in turn, rush over to him to find out what the matter was, despite the fact that she had just met him the night before, that she didn't really even _understand_ the emotions she was registering in the Force…

Jaina's pain would have been too much for her to handle, and once she had gathered enough to understand _why_ her mother was numbingly devastated…

"It was probably the only thing you could do," Kyp acknowledged wearily.

Mara looked uncharacteristically uncertain as her eyes shifted back over to her husband. "Luke, what do I tell her when she wakes up?"

Luke shook his head. "The truth, I suppose."

"What _is_ the truth?" Kyp demanded. "Do any of us seriously think that this was an accident? That the legendary Soontir Fel would let his ship be compromised by mechanical difficulties?"

"I'm not going to definitively tell an eleven-year-old girl that her father was murdered unless I know it to be true, without any doubt whatsoever," Mara snapped.

Luke held up his hand, eyes closed in frustration. "Then tell her what we know; that the Chiss have reported an accident, that at the moment, that is all that we know. And try to be gentle as possible when telling her about Soontir, I doubt she picked up on that much detail in her state."

"Fine," Mara looked sideways again and closed her eyes. "I need to go, I want to be en route before Leyla wakes; I think a more contained environment can only help her at this point."

Luke nodded but held up a finger. "Kyp," he murmured, "would you give us a minute?"

"Sure; see you soon, Mara," Kyp stood and backed away from the comm console.

"Likewise, Kyp; take care." When he was gone, she eyed Luke shrewdly through the holoscreen. "Something I should know?" she asked lightly. "Something Kyp shouldn't?"

He shook his head. "Not exactly. But I want you to- quietly- ask Vulcor to start tracking down Zekk and Tahlia, and to put them in contact with me."

"Might be easier said than done," Mara warned. "Last I heard, they were in pretty deep with a smuggling ring out in the Mid Rim…"

"Zekk is close enough with Jaina, he'll have felt something; I suspect that they'll meet Vulcor halfway." Luke bit his lip. "But I don't want them to come in, not yet, so I need Vulcor to try to get to them before they get too worried about what's going on here."

She nodded, not questioning his decisions or his motives. "I'll tell him."

X-X-X-X

"Shouldn't I have felt something?"

Kyp's head snapped up from where it had been resting heavily in his hand as he leaned against the armrest of the chair. Jaina was sitting upright in the bed, her legs drawn in close to her chest, arms wrapped protectively around her small body, eyes squeezed shut. A quick glance across the room showed that Jacen had also dozed off. "I don't know," he murmured, quickly understanding but unable to offer an answer.

"I mean… if something's wrong, I can sense it. How could… how could Jag just be _gone_," her voice broke, "and I didn't even feel anything?"

"Distance matters," he told her quietly. "Especially with non-Jedi. Do you think your mother could sense your father from across the known galaxy?"

She shrugged listlessly and opened her eyes, tilting her head and lifting her eyes to meet Kyp's green ones. "Why are you here?"

The question was entirely curiosity, but Kyp felt mildly defensive when she asked it. "Where else should I be?"

"Bed?" He just stared. "What time is it, anyway?"

He glanced at his chrono, squinting in the darkened room. "Nearly twenty-three hundred." She displayed no reaction, and he doubted that she'd ever truly cared about the answer, had just wanted something to say. "Your parents went with Luke to try to contact Wedge, and then I think they were going to try to inquire about Syal's status, and try to get her to Galactic Alliance territory, if necessary."

"Leyla?"

"Already en route with Mara and Ben."

A slight measure of relief penetrated the numb outer shell of her emotions. Just a slight one though. "What are we doing?"

He cocked his head slightly, unsure what she meant by the question. "At the moment, not much," he admitted slowly. "The government is already running damage control for the political ramifications of the Ascendancy's secession. With the tie severed already though, we don't have a whole lot of legal grounds for… investigatory purposes…"

Something flickered in her eyes, and her arms dropped to her sides, hands twisting in the sheets of the bed. "Kyp… did they kill him?" she whispered, blinking her eyes quickly.

"I don't know."

"Guess."

"The possibility is being… strongly considered," he cringed.

"But what do _you_ think?"

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "That it was Mitt'royvr'yni who first used the phrase 'political assassination,' not us." Tears welled in her eyes and she looked away quickly, brushing them away quickly and angrily. "It's okay," he murmured. "You don't have to be strong right now."

She just shook her head and slid her legs over the side of the bed, standing shakily and looking around in an almost confused daze. "We spoke while Jacen and I were on Reecee," she muttered. "And you know what I did? I got snappy with him, I ended the transmission because I didn't want to talk to him anymore, I was so annoyed that he told me that I couldn't come to Chiss space with him…"

Kyp blinked in surprise. "Maybe he foresaw the danger?"

She shook her head miserably. "He was worried about the political retaliation, nothing more. I got angry. And then when we got back, he had…" a soft sob escaped her throat, and Kyp was on his feet, unsure whether he should encourage her to get back in bed or not. "He left me a message, Kyp; he said _he_ was sorry, after the way I got mad… that he was coming home as soon as they made it back to Csilla…"

"Jaina…"

"I never told him I was pregnant!" she exclaimed, and Jacen started upright in the far corner. Kyp touched a light hand to Jaina's shoulder and she practically fell back against him, crying. "I didn't tell him," she sobbed, starting to shake once more. Jacen got to his feet, eyes widened in alarm, but Kyp waved him off, sensing that too much attention would just further upset her. "It was stupid, I wanted to be _with_ him…"

"Shh," he sat down in the chair again and pulled her down with him. "It wasn't stupid, Jaina," he rubbed soothing circles on her back as she buried her face in his robes, curling up against him as she cried inconsolably. His arms encircled her, and he rested his chin atop her head, stroking her hair with a free hand. "It wasn't stupid…"

That was how Han, Leia, and Luke found them five or ten minutes later. Jaina had calmed somewhat, but her eyes were still red and wet, and she looked at her parents bleakly with her cheek still pressed against Kyp's chest. Kyp's eyes were wide and helpless, unsure of what to do, afraid to even speak for fear of setting her off again.

"Sweetheart?" Han approached slowly and refrained from attempting to place a comforting hand on her shoulder when Jaina seemed to shrink further up against Kyp. "Why don't you come home with us? You'd be a lot more comfortable…"

Jaina twisted her face around and shuddered as she breathed heavily; Kyp suspected she couldn't have cared less about her own comfort, at that point. "Come on," he murmured, loosening his grip around her shoulders. She didn't move at first, but he applied gentle pressure to her back, encouraging her to stand. When she was on her feet, she drew her cloak in tight around her, and a coldness emanated from her, challenging anyone to touch her, lest she shatter.

X-X-X-X

Wynssa Myntox- formerly Wynssa Fel- closed down the transmission link with her mother and sat back heavily in her chair, eyes flickering periodically to the silent HoloNet broadcast in which she suspected the various political experts and media types were still discussing the not-wholly-unanticipated, but sudden secession of the Chiss Ascendancy from the Galactic Alliance.

And periodically, they would make a somber note about the shocking deaths of three leading advocates for the continuing association and alliance between the two entities- Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano, her father, and her brother.

She had been trained from an early age to accept death, to suppress sentimentality and other useless emotions; she had seen her brothers Davin and Chak leave for their last mission, as well as her sister Cherith. Jag though- he had been a survivor, perhaps even touched with a hand of that infamous Solo luck. And paired with the demise of their father…

Her mother was retaining an impressive level of composure, Wyn thought.

Distantly, she heard the door of the apartment hiss open and she stood quickly, turning off the HoloNet and taking a moment to compose herself before her husband found her. She had been expecting Syd since the first announcement of the turmoil an hour previously. Quick footsteps suggested that she was right, that he was home early because he had heard the news, and his eyes were wide and concerned when he found her, still standing there stoically.

"Wyn," he rushed over, and she allowed him to pull her close. "I came as soon as I heard… I'm so sorry about your father and Jagged."

She mumbled some acknowledgement to his consolation and closed her eyes, leaning heavily against her husband of eighteen months.

"If there's anything you need…" Syd let the offer trail away as Wyn pulled back and swept her hair out of her face.

"I'm alright," she assured him through stiff lips. "More concerned about my mother than anything else, but she has already been in contact with her brother on Corellia as well as some of the Jedi regarding the prospect of leaving Chiss space quickly and quietly."

"Your sister-in-law?"

Wyn shook her head. "Mother inquired after her, it seems she was indisposed- apparently the news was delivered in a less-than-gentle fashion, and she is taking it quite hard."

"Understandable." He studied her face a moment and then smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if the timing is bad… but Major Antell is in the sitting room and waiting to speak with you."

She frowned. "Who?"

"Major Davik Antell?" he tilted his head slightly. "He said he knows you; he leads our best fighter squadron, the _Bloodfins_."

She shook her head. "We've never met."

"Well he was quite adamant when I was leaving that you grant him a few minutes of your time."

Shrugging, she trudged out the door, Syd close behind. When she reached the sitting room moments later, a tall, dark-haired figure was standing straight, hands clasped behind his back, staring out a window. "Major?" she spoke evenly.

He turned smoothly at the sound of her voice; she stopped in shock, and her husband nearly collided against her back.

"What- what are _you_ doing here?"

"My duty, Wynssa," the man responded lowly, looking her over quickly as though assuring himself of her wellbeing. "And I require your assistance."


	13. Part 12

**A/N: **Yes, there is a minor Dark Nest plot point that I've borrowed for this chapter. That's what we have disclaimers for… ;-)

_**Future ADA**_- *wince* Sorry… it _is_ under an angst heading, after all… I won't pretend that the depressing is over… but bear with me for a couple chapters and there will be some non-depressing and intrigue to add to the mix…

**Part XII**

Jaina sat in a chair in the far corner of her parents' apartment, staring listlessly out the viewport at the endless speeder traffic visible from their position a kilometer above the planet's surface. Around her sat her parents and her uncle; they awaited the arrivals of Jacen and Kyp, and then they would begin their war council- at least, that's what it seemed like to her.

She was apathetic at best, however. Tomorrow, Leyla would arrive with Mara and Ben, and then maybe she could focus a little more, having her daughter safe and close.

Yesterday had been the worst. After a fitful sleep, she had awoken to the disappointment that it had not all been a simple nightmare, had awoken in a strange bed- the spare room in her parents' apartment- and had emerged to find Jacen still slumbering lightly on the sofa… the decision to spend the night there as well had been a silent one, but he had sensed the need to keep the family as together as possible.

On top of the morning's disorientation had come the incredible discomfort of a stressful and heart wrenching holo-chat with Syal Antilles Fel, and later with the young Wynssa. Empty consolations had been offered by all, but Jaina well knew that the wounds were still too fresh for any of them to be tempered by the simple condolences of others.

The door to the apartment opened and she tensed reflexively, before recognizing the familiar presences of her twin and Kyp coming into the sitting room. "Jaina," she turned slightly and eyed her brother from the corner of her eye. He lifted a small canvas bag demonstratively and set it down on a table next to the door. "I gathered a few things for you; let me know if I forgot anything."

She gave him a small but sincere smile. "Thanks," she murmured, relieved and grateful; thus far, she had not been able to bring herself to return to the apartment that she had shared with Jag and Leyla for the past nine years, and Jacen was tuned strongly enough to her that he instinctively knew and simplified matters for her.

Maybe when Leyla arrived, she could face it with her.

"And there was a message waiting for you," Jacen continued quietly. "I went ahead and checked it- Ashik expresses his condolences."

She had entirely forgotten about him. "How did he look?"

"Haggard; guilty."

Sighing, she passed a hand over her face. "I'll have to try to get in touch with him later, see if he needs anything."

Jacen shook his head. "His message left the impression that he expected to go underground for a bit. Maybe…" he hesitated. "Maybe he knows something."

Jaina twitched once and then turned back to stare out the viewport.

"That's an unfortunately apt segue into what we are here to discuss this morning," Luke broke in softly. "Jaina, I know this can't be easy to think about, so soon, but… there are some things that should probably be discussed _before_ Leyla arrives. Namely, what to do about hiding the fact that you're pregnant."

"This sounds familiar," she muttered. A movement caught the corner of her eye, and she turned to see Kyp flinch violently. "Sorry."

Luke looked between them almost nervously for a moment before continuing slowly. "The simple option here would be to have you go into hiding- maybe even on Anoth?" he suggested.

"But that only delays the inevitable," Leia pointed out softly. "Even if she stayed there through the pregnancy- which would be admittedly difficult in and of itself, given a lack of proper medical facilities there- a child can only be hidden for so long. And even if they didn't know until the child was a couple of years old, no one is fooled- why else would you have gone into hiding?"

"I can take care of myself," Jaina said monotonously, avoiding everyone's eyes once more.

"You would gamble with the life of yours and Jag's unborn child?" Kyp demanded.

"What would you have me do?" she cried, whirling to face him again, ire flashing through her eyes. "If you don't remember, I did a pretty damned good job of hiding Leyla, and I spent most of that pregnancy hiding in plain sight on the _Ralroost_!"

"Yeah, and once she was born, you had the benefit of the isolation and secrecy of the Chiss who, I might add, are the ones who are going to be _after_ you this time!"

"Then I guess it won't be as easy as hiding from you!"

"Hey!" Jaina stopped and took several deep breaths, surprised to find herself on her feet, hands clenched into fists. To his credit, Kyp remained seated, though a slight redness had crept into his face and his hands clenched the armrests of his chair tightly. Han was standing now though, head whipping back and forth between his daughter and the Jedi Master who had once been something like a kid brother to him. "Whatever decade-old grievances the two of you have- and I'm sure there are many," he shot a narrow-eyed look at Kyp who flushed, "they aren't going to help solve anything here and now. Talk it over like civilized beings in your own time."

Leia regarded her husband in surprise at his display of mediation. "And," she added, turning to fix each of them with a pointed look, "the last thing you want to put Leyla through right now is the two of you at each other's throats."

They had the good grace to look abashed, and Jaina sat heavily back in her chair, pulling her feet up and wrapping her arms around her legs. "Sorry, Kyp," she murmured.

"Me too."

Luke shook his head a couple of times and then continued haltingly forward. "What I want to suggest today is a potential solution that could protect Jaina and her baby… and wouldn't necessarily force her to keep out of the public eye for the duration of her pregnancy."

Jaina stared. "What's the catch?"

He sighed. "Aside from the fact that you- obviously- could not give the child Jag's name… you would likely face a certain amount of public scrutiny and ridicule regarding the… father."

She frowned heavily. "I don't understand."

"I've been discussing this discreetly with Cilghal," Luke prefaced his explanation. "And it's largely hypothetical, but I think it can work. Cilghal has uncovered some vague medical archives regarding a practice of… slowing the growth of a fetus, extending the gestation period… using the Force."

"That sounds dangerous," Jacen scowled.

"Which would obviously be a concern to be addressed with Cilghal," Luke allowed. "But based on her findings, Cilghal was confident that, done properly, you could safely add a few months to your pregnancy. And since you're only a month along…" he shrugged apologetically.

Jaina closed her eyes and sighed. "So I give birth in ten or eleven months instead of eight, there's no way that Jag is the father…"

"Enter some unpleasant comments from media rabble-rousers," Han growled, but Jaina held up a hand to ward off his annoyance.

"That, I can handle," Jaina murmured softly. "And if it means keeping the baby safe…" she trailed away and looked down, thoughtful. "I don't want to commit to anything yet," she said slowly. "I'd like to speak with Cilghal first."

Luke nodded. "Of course. I'll speak with her tonight and arrange a time when we can meet quietly with her, maybe after Leyla, Mara, and Ben have had a chance to settle…"

"Thanks, Uncle Luke," Jaina replied softly.

He met her gaze evenly. "This is also probably the time when you and Kyp want to decide just how much to tell Leyla. Remember, she might well realize you're pregnant before an… altered timeline… would make it plausible."

Jaina met Kyp's eyes and bit her lip. "I think," she said quietly, "that we're going to have a lot to discuss with Leyla in the coming weeks."

X-X-X-X

Leyla and Ben came down the ramp of the shuttle first, with Mara following close behind. Luke embraced his son quickly while Leyla slowly and stiffly approached Jaina, who folded her into a tight hug and held her for a long time, simply relieved to have her back after a month away. A lot of emotions were still roiling under the surface of the young girl's mind, but she kept then impressively suppressed. "How are you doing, sweetheart?" Jaina murmured as she pulled away, eyes damp.

"Alright," Leyla muttered, looking down at her feet. Jaina squeezed her hand tightly and took a step back, turning to offer a light smile to her aunt as Leyla shuffled over to Kyp and let him hug her too.

"I did get your message," Jaina murmured to Mara as the red-haired woman pulled herself from Luke's embrace. "It was just… quickly forgotten."

Mara leaned in close to her ear as she hugged her niece. "Don't worry about it now," she said softly. "We'll talk tonight."

Jaina eyed her quizzically. "Is this about whatever Leyla contacted Jag about?" Mara's start of surprise was confirmation enough. "He left me a message too," Jaina said quietly. "I got it right before I heard…" she trailed away and her aunt patted her shoulder comfortingly and sent reassuring vibes through the Force.

"We're going to go over to Han and Leia's for lunch," Luke informed the newcomers. "Mara and Ben, if you want to drop your bags off before we go up to the speeder pad…?"

"Here," Kyp reached for Leyla's small satchel, but she pulled her around her body and didn't hand it over.

"I've got it," she muttered.

He attempted an easy smile. "Hey, you've gotta let me be chivalrous once in a while…"

"I said I've got it, Kyp!"

Everyone froze for a few seconds, staring between the two of them. "Leyla…" Jaina's tone was half-questioning, half-warning. "We're all upset…"

"Why should Kyp be upset?" she asked under her breath, and he recoiled away from her in shock at her tone.

"Leyla!" Mara snapped. "You told me that you could keep your emotions under control-"

"Why didn't you save him?" the girl whirled on Kyp, voice breaking as tears pooled in her eyes. "You could have saved him like you saved me!"

The look in Kyp's eyes nearly broke Jaina's heart again. "I didn't know he was in trouble, sweetheart," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I wish I could have done something…"

"You let him die!"

"Leyla," Jaina pleaded, "please… you aren't helping anything…"

"You were jealous of dad, weren't you?" Leyla demanded, beating her small fists against Kyp's chest. He just stood there in shock, barely seeming to register the repeated impacts. "You still love mom, don't you?"

Ben hurried around and seized Leyla's arms. She continued to struggle, blinking through tears which were now streaming down her face, until she recognized the grip of her cousin and relaxed, sagging visibly in her grief. With one last distraught look directed at her stunned father, she turned heel and took off, away from the hangar, into the lower levels of the temple, Ben close behind.

"Leyla! Ben!" Mara called, but Jaina held up a hand.

"Let them go," she murmured, head in her hand. "He'll watch after her until he can work her back around to your apartment." As she spoke though, Kyp could feel her own distress boiling over, and he sensed her trying to suppress it, attempting to block out the anger and frustration pouring off of her daughter… sensed her trying to shield a small, undeveloped mind from the pain of her emotions…

And then her presence in the Force drew in around itself, and Kyp blinked, half-expecting to find her gone, or unconscious at least. But she was still standing there, staring blankly towards the door where Leyla had disappeared; he could barely feel her anymore though. "Jaina?" he asked shakily.

She waved him off. "Leave it. Come on, we should go. Oh, and Aunt Mara?" she twisted around to look at her wary aunt and uncle who were also trying to comprehend what had just happened. "You want to tell me what exactly Jag and Leyla talked about four days ago?"


	14. Part 13

**A/N: **_**Future ADA**_- sadly, I can take no credit for the idea about extending the pregnancy, that's what I borrowed from the _Dark Nest_ trilogy… but as for the 'father'… *wink*

**Part XIII**

He gave Leyla a day to cool off. She looked slightly cowed when she had arrived at Han and Leia's place with Luke and Ben- Mara had gone with Kyp and Jaina to have a fast but somber discussion about what she knew about the conversation between Jag and Leyla. And she had been nice enough, albeit rather quiet, throughout the day, though the overall mood was obviously grave. Still, Han and Leia were happy to see their only grandchild, and Jacen even got her to laugh once or twice with stupid jokes.

When Kyp left though, she had gone slightly pink upon bidding him farewell, and the rest of the day she was ill-at-ease, though she did curl up on the sofa with Jaina eventually. No words passed between the two of them, but Jaina stroked her daughter's hair back from her face and pulled her to lean against her while Leyla sniffled for a few minutes, before calming herself once more and eventually slipping into a restless sleep.

She asked no questions when Leia fixed up the sofa for her to sleep on that night- Jaina wondered if she had the same reservations, even on a subconscious level, about returning to their apartment.

Upon waking the following morning, the apartment was quiet. Leyla sat groggily upright and listened for the noise of any activity in any of the adjacent rooms, but heard nothing. Frowning, she crept towards the guest bedroom where her mother had retired for the night, opened the door- and found it empty, the bed remade and looking like it had never been slept in at all. Increasingly concerned, she went to the next door and tapped lightly before opening it- but her grandparents weren't there either.

Retreating back to the sitting room, she went down the narrow corridor that connected to the entry way, and turned left to the kitchen. As she approached, she began to recognize the smell of caf, though it was still quiet, and she let out a soft breath in relief and stuck her head in the kitchen…

And found herself eye-to-eye with Kyp.

His brow was quirked in an inquisitive expression as he raised the mug to his lips and his feet were propped up on another chair. "Good morning," he said evenly.

"Oh- hi," she frowned lightly. "Where…?" her gaze drifted around the room. "What did you do to Threepio?"

A grin crossed his features and some of the tension left the room. Sitting more upright, he removed his booted feet and kicked the chair out from the table slightly, a silent invitation for her to join him. Hesitating briefly, she did so, perching on the edge and swinging her legs absently as she avoided her father's eyes.

"He didn't seem to take me seriously when I asked for caf and silence," he replied nonchalantly. "So once I got the caf, I just deactivated him. Don't tell on me, 'kay?"

She snorted. "Grandpa does that all the time." Smiling easily, he studied her for a moment, until she tentatively raised her eyes back to him. "Where is everybody?"

"Your grandparents took your mother to the med center at the Jedi temple."

Her stomach fluttered in sudden anxiety. "Is she sick?"

"No," he tilted his head and spoke softly. "She's fine."

"Then why…?"

He held up a hand. "Hold on, Leyla. I think you and I have some things to talk about, hm?" She flushed and looked down again. "Mara told us that you had a tough talk with your dad," he prodded gently, and she nodded miserably. "That a couple of the older students said some things that bothered you about me… and about your mom?"

"Yes," she whispered. "They saw you when you dropped me off, but they… didn't know who I was."

"Why did you comm Jag?" he asked curiously. "Why not your mother or me?"

Her jaw took on a defiant set that was remarkably evocative of Jaina, especially when she was younger. "I knew that he would tell me the truth."

"You didn't think we would?"

She hesitated. "I thought you would tell me the _same_ truth that you told me four years ago; not the _whole_ truth."

Pursing his lips, Kyp sighed. Maybe she was right, he couldn't know for sure. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he finally managed. "Believe it or not… we _had_ already decided that it was time you knew the whole story, we talked about it after I returned from Ossus. But maybe we did put it off too long, and we should have told you everything _before_ you left."

"Aunt Mara said you were trying to protect me."

He shrugged. "Perhaps we were too ambitious in our idealism." She frowned in confusion. "I mean… maybe we spent too long imagining that we could shield you from the unpleasant facts forever." Sighing heavily, he sat forward and leaned his elbows on the table. "But now you know- you're upset at being misled, lied to even, and I understand that. But what I need to know now, before we can start over… does it change anything?"

She stared. "What?"

"Leyla, I didn't even know you existed until you were almost two years old. And then I spent more than five years, watching you from a distance, proud of you but unable to show it, to tell you. And for the last four years, I've been honored to share a part of your life that, before, had only belonged to Jaina and Jag, and the time we've spent together… I'm proud to be your father, Leyla, and it made me happier than I ever imagined to have you finally consider me as such. But now you know about a different side of me, a side that has been dead since before you were born, but a side that, for good or bad, you would not be here without. So- does it change anything? Between me and you, you and your mother- does it change anything?"

For a long minute, she stared at him with big, brown eyes- and then her resoluteness began to collapse, and her eyes began to water. Squeezing her eyes shut, her breaths became shallow and gasping, and she scooted forward and stumbled out of her chair, covering the space between them in a step and falling into Kyp's waiting arms. "I'm sorry," she gasped. "I don't know why I said those things…" she drew a shuddering breath and Kyp rubbed her back comfortingly.

"We all say silly things when we're upset," he murmured. "And you had every right to be upset, and for many reasons."

She took deep calming breaths, still wrapped up in his embrace. "I love you, daddy," she sniffed.

"I love you too, sweetheart," he pulled back and smiled sadly at her. "And starting now, we're going to do things right, no more secrets from each other, okay?" She nodded gravely. "But what I'm going to tell you now _is_ a secret- a very big one, and it's very important that you keep it to yourself, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed nervously, perching back in the chair opposite Kyp.

He leaned forward and spoke in low tones. "Leyla- many people in the galaxy have already started speculating that the supposed accident that killed Jag and his father was not really an accident at all." Her brown eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing. "Most of the Jedi are inclined to think that as well, but we have no proof, and I don't know that we'll ever be able to get any.

"In more tumultuous times in Chiss history, when a feud was started against a family line- a clan- the conflict would not be ended until that line was completely eliminated. By traditional custom, these clan lines are carried through blood, not marriage- meaning Jag's mother and your own are not considered true Fels, and are therefore not likely in any danger. _You_ on the other hand… you would be, but rumor had already started that you were not Jag's daughter, and Luke confirmed it in order to protect you. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she whispered.

He sighed and steepled his fingers, regarding her closely. "What the Chiss don't know- what they _can't_ know- is that your mother is pregnant."

Leyla blinked slowly a few times. "She is?" her voice was uncertain.

"Yes; she only realized it herself about a week ago, and she's only about a month along. You understand what I'm saying though, the danger that this puts your mother in, as well as your unborn brother or sister?"

She nodded solemnly. "Is that why grandma and grandpa took mom to the temple?"

"Sort of," he inclined his head. "Your mother- and most of the rest of the family, I suppose- are meeting with Cilghal to talk about how to protect the baby- and to do that, it has to appear as though there is no way that Jag could be the baby's father."

"How?" her voice quavered.

"By using the Force to slow the baby's growth; if your mom can add just two or three months to the normal time… it will appear implausible that your dad is the father."

Leyla frowned lightly, looking away as she took all of it in. "But then… who will she _pretend_ is the father?"

Kyp shrugged. "It doesn't matter; she will probably just keep quiet about it until people stop asking." Leyla bit her lip but said nothing. "If you'd like-"

He was cut off by the beeping of his comlink. Frowning, he pulled it from his belt and held it up. "Yes?"

"_Kyp, it's Jacen_," the tinny voice replied. _"You may want to go ahead and bring Leyla down here now." _

"I think we were about to leave," he replied slowly. "What's wrong?"

There was a slight hesitation. _"This… isn't working. We may need to start brainstorming a different plan."_

X-X-X-X

After getting Leyla hurriedly dressed and ready to go, they arrived at the temple just under half an hour later. They headed quickly up to the medical wing, and were met by Jacen and pulled into a quiet room for an explanation.

"I thought Master Skywalker said that this was a relatively straightforward process?" Kyp asked tersely.

"And it probably would be," Jacen countered smoothly, "for someone in a better emotional state than Jaina."

Leyla looked up with wide eyes. "What's wrong with mom?"

Jacen spread his arms in a hopeless gesture. "There's nothing _wrong_, per say… not physically. But the effort to touch the life growing inside her… it's having something of a slingshot effect." Kyp quirked a brow questioningly. "She's pulled herself in close to try to protect the baby," Jacen said softly. "And every time she extends her own awareness through those shields and senses the baby… it hurts her, because it's one-half Jag, and that makes her sad, obviously, and also guilty because she never got the chance to tell him…" Jacen's voice choked up a little. "And she sort of rebounds out once she starts feeling those things, because _that's_ why the shields are there in the first place, to _protect_ the baby from the negative emotions that are… well, everywhere right now."

"So we give her more time," Kyp responded. "Don't make her do this now."

There was a few seconds' silence. "How much time, Kyp?" Jacen queried softly. "What if she can't do it in another month, in two? In four? Time is a factor, and assuming that the pain will lessen in time to make the ruse work… that's a pretty big gamble to take. And the effort this takes, the strength it will cost her…" a shadow passed over his face. "Honestly, I'm not sure she'll be able to do it. We're talking months of sustained contact and awareness here."

Kyp pursed his lips and looked down. "What's the backup plan then? Anoth?"

"Well," Jacen started, but Leyla cut him off.

"Wait," she said, looking distantly away, thinking hard. "There's… I know how it'll work…"

Eyes still glassy and distant, she spun away and sped out of the room. "Wait, Leyla…" Jacen called and rushed after her, Kyp close behind. She darted into the room where Jaina was sitting hunched on a bed, looking exhausted and upset, Luke, Han, and Leia standing and sitting at various points around the room, Cilghal studying a monitor of some sort.

"Leyla!" Jaina exclaimed, unfurling a bit as she sat up straighter in surprise. "What's wrong…?"

"Kyp can do it."

Jacen and Kyp slid to a halt in the doorway, and all eyes swung to the young girl. "What?" Kyp asked slowly as Jacen pulled the door shut behind them.

She turned and looked between her mother and father a few times. "You can do it," she insisted to him. "You can make the baby grow slower so that it won't be born as early."

An uncomfortable silence descended on the room. "Leyla," Luke said softly, "if it were that simple… the personal connection necessary to maintain the link with the fetus, even the effort to get past the defenses that your mom is using to protect the baby…"

"If he can use the Force to make her have a baby, then can't he use the Force to touch the baby and slow down the growth?"

Jaina's eyes went wide and darted to Kyp, who looked slightly shell-shocked. Luke and Cilghal looked mildly thoughtful, but Han, Leia, and Jacen were staring at Leyla in utter confusion. "Leyla, sweetie," Leia said uncomfortably, "it doesn't really work like that. The Force is part of all living things, but that doesn't mean that Kyp… used the Force…" she trailed away and looked to Jaina for help… but Jaina was now staring at the healer, as though asking a silent question.

"It… might be possible," Cilghal conceded quietly.

"I'm not tracking here…" Jacen said slowly.

Kyp sighed heavily. "Jag really _did_ tell you everything, didn't he?" he muttered, passing a hand over his eyes.

Leyla seemed to realize that she'd said something that wasn't common knowledge. "I…" she stuttered, looking between her confused uncle and grandparents, before turning back to Kyp uncertainly. "He wanted me to understand that you didn't want to _hurt_ mom…" she spoke softly, lip trembling slightly. "That you just wanted her to be with you again… and that you thought she would be if you had a baby together…"

"So you _used the Force_ to make it happen?" Han demanded, going slightly wild-eyed.

Kyp grimaced. "Not my proudest moment, Han."

"Look," Jaina spoke up loudly. "This really isn't the time to get into this. Long story short- yes, he used the Force; it made me sick because it conflicted with the hormone treatment I was on… oh, honestly," she rolled her eyes as Jacen narrowed his, "Jag and I have been…" she stumbled and closed her eyes for a moment, "were… married for a decade, you're really that concerned that we were sleeping together first?" Kyp hid a snort of laughter as Han went slightly red. "And to add a nice chapter to the end, we found out six weeks ago that Jag and I couldn't have a baby- we'd been trying for a few years- because of what Kyp did. Kyp undid what he'd never meant to do in the first place, and _that's_ why I'm pregnant _now_, at the worst possible time…"

And then she was crying again, and Leyla was climbing up on the bed to hug her, and Jaina pulled her close to her side while she mastered her quickened breathing and tried to calm down. "Sorry," she muttered bitterly, before lifting her gaze to Kyp's with obvious effort. "Kyp- I know it isn't fair to ask it of you- but can you do it?" He opened his mouth a few times but no words came out. "Kyp?"

"I-" he stammered. "It isn't my child!"

Cilghal interrupted with her gravelly voice. "Oh the whole, Master Durron, I suspect it matters not."

"But… Master Skywalker said… you need that personal connection…" he trailed away and looked at Luke helplessly.

"Can we have the room for a minute?" Jaina spoke up softly. She tightened her grip around Leyla's shoulders. "Stay," she murmured. "This is as much about you as us."

In various levels of confusion and grudging acceptance, Han, Leia, Luke, and Jacen filed out, leaving Jaina, Kyp, and Leyla alone with the healer. "Kyp," Jaina murmured. "Everything that we talked about six weeks ago… whether you meant to or not, you _do_ have a connection with my body, even if not with the baby itself."

He sat heavily and put his head in one hand. "Even if I could… you realize it would probably mean that we'd have to stay connected _constantly_, a ten or eleven month-long mind meld…" he looked at her desperately. "We'd have to stay reasonably close to each other that _entire _time, Jaina…"

She nodded. "I know," she whispered. "But that will only make it more convincing."

"Will make _what_ more convincing?"

A guilty flash crossed her features. "The story that you're the baby's father."


	15. Part 14

**A/N: **_**Future ADA**_- yeah, I have kind of a sketchy knowledge of EU stuff pre-New Jedi Order. I've read the Zahn books (religiously), and the Jedi Academy trilogy and _I, Jedi_, and when I was REALLY young (like, elementary school young), I read (among others)the book where Callista comes in, but I never read anything about her beyond that. But in college, I started up with NJO, because I was a huge fan of Young Jedi Knights when I was about 10, so NJO seemed like a nice pickup from there (and it is)… so I've read everything from THAT point onwards just in the last couple years. And having said that, Dark Nest is BY FAR the most frustrating series you will ever read, and just reading the Wookieepedia entries for the books would probably be less likely to make you tear out your hair. ;-P

**Part XIV**

_One Month Later_

Luke stared around the small office, now all but emptied of all traces of his presence. He sighed wistfully; too long had been spent occupied on Coruscant by the political strife and the ongoing conflict between the seat of government and the Jedi. It was time that he return to what he preferred, what he liked best- instructing young minds in the ways of the Force.

Mara and Ben had returned to Ossus already, just a few days prior with Jaina, Leyla, and Kyp. A long time had been spent discussing the plan for Jaina and Kyp to relocate to the forested planet, but it had eventually been agreed upon more or less unanimously. Their reason was purportedly- and actually, at least in part- to be closer to Leyla, in light of the recent tragedy. There were other factors of course; it would get them out of the spotlight for a while, would make it easier for them to relax and focus on the ongoing task of keeping Jaina and her unborn child protected.

And- Kyp would never say it to her face- but he was worried about Jaina's withdrawal from the Force. He had come to Luke two weeks prior, concerned that she was too introverted, that she wouldn't be able to sense any approaching danger. After observing her carefully, Luke had been forced to agree to at least some extent, and it was undeniable that Ossus would be a more secure place for her than Coruscant, at least in the next few months, when the deception would be unveiled.

In another month and a half- when Jaina was three and a half months pregnant technically- she would visit the medcenter at the Jedi temple on Ossus where Tekli- brought into the loop the prior week just before she relocated to Ossus- would inform her that she was less than a month along. It would be done quietly, but not secretly, not inviting anyone to take notice, but would be visible in Jaina's medical files.

The trick would be in the timing. Kyp had been working tirelessly with Jaina and Cilghal to carefully alter the fetus's growth rate, and it was essential that the timing be accurate to match the onset of physical evidence of her pregnancy- not to mention the birth of the child in the far future. The plan though was to add a third of the time back on, meaning Jaina would give birth roughly eleven months after Jag's death- eliminating the possibility that he was the father, and even giving several weeks of allowance for the baby to be born early.

Sighing heavily, Luke leaned back in his chair and considered all of this- and all that could go wrong. The best consolation was that, through whatever happened, Jaina and Leyla would be together- indeed, mother and daughter had been near inseparable for the duration of Leyla's return to Coruscant, and almost as much time had been spent with Kyp. And on Ossus, Luke and Mara would be close at hand if anything went wrong, Vulcor would be watching out for Leyla- somewhat discreetly, but her parents admitted that they'd feel better knowing that he was around even when they weren't- and Ben would be there. The cousins had bonded greatly both on Ossus and upon returning to Coruscant, and Luke sensed that she would need the support of someone close to her own age, a friend and a relative, in the coming days.

A firm knock on the door distracted Luke from his wearied thoughts, and he sat up straighter, wondering if this was his somewhat mysterious appointment, made through some… interesting channels. "Enter," he called amiably, and steepled his fingers as he watched the door open.

The man who entered was tall, expression grim, eyes and mouth set in a serious manner. He closed the door quickly as he walked in the room, and then he approached the desk, extending a hand for Luke. "Major Davik Antell, Imperial Navy," he offered in stilted tones, and Luke stood to shake the proffered hand, smiling wryly.

"Davik Antell," he murmured before chuckling under his breath. "Please, sit." The uniformed man did so, piercing hazel eyes never leaving Luke's cool blue ones. "Nice pseudonym." The man stiffened almost imperceptibly. "You needn't fear anything from me, nor any other Jedi," he said softly. "And I personally swept for any espionage devices before you arrived."

The man cocked a brow. "Then you knew already who you were expecting?" He smiled thinly. "I must say then, Master Skywalker- your reputation is well-merited."

"Just deductive reasoning," Luke's eyes twinkled. "And I admit, you _had_ been on my mind for some time already- I'd wondered if you survived."

The thin smile tightened slightly. "Master Skywalker, survival is my only true duty in life; that was the fate bestowed on me upon my birth. To do otherwise would have been the ultimate failure to my family."

They regarded on another for a long moment, before Luke relaxed and leaned forward. "You posses a manner not dissimilar to your younger brother. Let us speak freely then; what can I do for you, Cem?"

Something flickered in the eyes of Cem Fel, and Luke got the distinct impression that he had not been called by his given name in some time. When he spoke though, his voice was as steady and even as always. "First, you can inform me as to the condition of my sister-in-law and my niece."

"Of course," Luke murmured. "Jaina is… well as to be expected. Still rather grieved, as I'm sure you can imagine, as is Leyla, but…" he regarded the young man before him. "You've just missed them actually; they left three days ago for Ossus- Jaina wanted to be close to her daughter while she continued her Jedi training."

"Yes," Cem was unfazed by this news. "I believe Master Durron went with them…?"

Luke quirked a brow. "You are well-informed. Should this concern me?"

That earned a wry chuckle. "Hardly. I have my instructions, and they pose no concern to you, your family, or your Jedi."

"Instructions from whom, might I ask?"

"My family, of course." Luke eyed him curiously. "Secret files are kept, Master Skywalker, things that someone like me- a shadow child- must know if our services are ever called upon. My father was quite diligent in that regard. I… would have come sooner, but acquiring those files proved more difficult than I anticipated."

"You have help? Besides that from your sister?"

Cem regarded him carefully, perhaps debating how much to divulge. "My brother's guard, Ashik- Wynssa first helped me get into contact with him, and he has been an able asset in my endeavors since then."

"Hm," Luke considered that a moment. "What other assistance can the Jedi provide you?"

His hazel eyes hardened slightly. "Assistance that I thought would go unasked for," he said stiltedly. "Unless you insult the memories of my father and brother by continuing to believe the preposterous story that a mechanical failure led to their deaths."

Letting a moment go by in silence, Luke tilted his head curiously and watched the younger man. "You have proof otherwise?"

His lip curled. "Besides the fact that my father was Soontir Fel? No, Master Jedi, I have no proof- but I very much intend to acquire some."

"Surely you understand, with the secession of the Ascendancy from the Galactic Alliance, the Jedi cannot publically investigate the incident-"

"Then you let their deaths go unavenged!"

Luke met his gaze with hard eyes. "The Jedi do not believe in vengeance, Cem," he said quietly. "However… we do believe in justice."

"Then help me."

The Jedi Master chuckled softly. "I'm afraid it is _you_ who will be doing the helping," he said wryly. "I have two Jedi already looking into the matter secretly." Cem blinked in surprise, and the tightness left his face. "It's a slow process, understandably- we have no chiss Jedi, and everyone else stands out like a sore thumb in Chiss space… but they report back to me when they can do so safely. I'll see that you have a means of getting in touch with them."

"Thank you," Cem replied softly. "Then I shall take up no more of your time, Master Skywalker."

Luke raised a hand to stop him as he stood. "Shall I pass on your greetings to my niece?"

"No," Cem answered swiftly, surprising Luke. "She and I have never met, and it would be unfair to burden her with the knowledge of my existence, given the uncertainty of my survival in the coming months. It would have been remiss of me, however, not to inquire as to the wellbeing of my brother's wife and daughter; it is enough that I know that they are doing well, and are being watched over."

It wasn't until much later that day, when Luke replayed the entire encounter in his head, that he cringed slightly, wondering just how Cem Fel would feel about Jaina 'being watched over' in another few months.

X-X-X-X

It was a small cabin-like structure, identical to about twenty others which stood around the Jedi temple, primarily serving as housing to non-Jedi staff and family members who came to Ossus with young trainees.

A slight interior modification was a deceptively secure internal door leading to one of the bedrooms- Jaina's bedroom. It had a dual-security system, a separate access code that, if not disengaged before trying to enter the keycode for the room proper, would cause the door to seal itself automatically- and practically impenetrably- until the proper release was keyed from the interior.

Jaina had found the addition to be quite ridiculous, but Kyp had insisted upon the safety precautions, and so she found herself wryly peering at the reinforced door, wondering what difference a little extra security would make when she was, say… ten months pregnant.

The sheer ridiculousness of that idea made her chuckle softly. The mirth was short-lived, however, as she turned and went back into the sparse but comfortable shared living area, where Kyp was standing with his arms crossed, lips pursed, watching her closely. "Home sweet home," he murmured wryly.

A flash of pain made her heart ache, but she quickly quelled it, knowing that Kyp was ultra-sensitive now to her emotions, as a result of the constant connection he maintained with the life growing inside of her. It had been remarkably unnerving at first as he'd struggled to connect with the small, steadily growing baby, while at the same time not intruding too heavily upon Jaina herself. Eventually though, they had found a nice medium that still left him susceptible to sudden strong emotions from her, but was not nearly so all-encompassing as a mind-link like those shared during a Jedi battle meld.

Strangely, Jaina felt very little from Kyp in return, and she wasn't sure if that was because of him consciously suppressing his emotions, or because she wasn't opening herself up as fully to the Force as she normally would. Kyp had brought this up with her a couple of times before she got annoyed and snapped at him to leave her alone.

His comment though- it only served to remind her about just how painful the time spent in her old apartment had been, an apartment that would now sit unused for months while Jaina and Leyla were on Ossus. Speaking of whom…

Leyla was more excited than she would admit to be spending an indeterminate amount of time at the academy, after the initial plan had been to send her for the vacation months only so that she could return to her normal lessons the following term. Consequently though, it meant she would have more work soon with a tutoring droid, but to make up for it, Jaina promised that she would have one that was less annoying than Threepio.

Now, the girl was returning to her old quarters which had sat empty for the past month, and Mara and Ben were helping her get set up once more before going about their own resettlement in the temple, and preparing for Luke to arrive the following week.

As she stared around, taking in the kitchenette area, the HoloNet terminal, the comm center in a corner… she sighed wistfully. It wasn't ideal, and it _certainly_ wasn't home… but for now, it would have to do.


	16. Part 15

**A/N: **_**Future ADA- **_Glad to feed the addiction further… ;-)

**Part XV**

_Six Weeks Later_

Kyp sat with his feet propped up on a table, watching a HoloNet News broadcast with a remarkable level of disinterest. Since his semi-exile on Ossus had begun, he suddenly found himself much less caring about the greater galactic goings-on, and when he did hear about the latest political scandals and the like, his lip generally curled in contempt. He'd had enough of that on Coruscant to last him a lifetime, and he was only glad that he wasn't there right now, as Omas's time in office was coming to a term-mandated end and election season promised to be scathing at best.

When he sensed Jaina approaching, he ordered the console off, positive that the last things she wanted to think about were the greater galactic political happenings. He frowned lightly though as she opened the door, picking up on a certain hesitancy or reservation in her aura. "Hey," he nodded his head in her direction.

"Hi, Kyp," she returned quietly, meeting his eyes steadily.

"Everything okay?"

She bit her lip and he sat up straighter, worried. "Kyp, there's something I have to tell you…"

At her tone, he was on his feet in a flash. "What?" he demanded quickly. "What's wrong?"

She looked away for a moment. "I know that we said it was just one night…"

"Huh?"

"And it was such a nice night… a long walk on the beaches of Naboo… drinking a little too much Corellian ale, perhaps… and then… that night…"

"Jaina…"

"Kyp, I'm pregnant."

He just shook his head as she tried to keep from laughing. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he rolled his eyes and plopped back down on the sofa. "You really had me going there for a minute."

"You should have seen your face."

He grinned as she finally allowed the mirth she felt to show on her features, and he thought about how long it had been since she had allowed herself even a little bit of distraction and good humor. "Just how long have you been planning that, anyway?" he smirked as she fell heavily onto the couch next to him.

"Eh," she shrugged, "I was bored while I was waiting for Tekli to finish up with another patient."

"So you plotted ways to wind me up to ease the dullness," he deadpanned.

"You do make it so easy."

He smiled as she laughed softly. "It's nice to see you happy," he commented quietly- which of course, had the immediate effect of sobering her drastically. "Even if it is fleeting," he finished ruefully.

She flushed and looked away. "It's getting easier," she murmured. "I probably only think about how much I miss him every ten seconds now instead of every five." Drawing in a shuddering breath, she brought her legs up on the couch and curled up against the armrest. "And then I feel guilty for it."

"Jag wouldn't begrudge you a little happiness here and there."

"I know," she sighed. "But that doesn't lessen the guilt."

She stood and made to go to her room. Kyp followed her with his eyes and quirked his brows questioningly when she turned back around. "I thought I'd eat dinner with Leyla tonight up at the temple," she murmured. "You should come."

"Okay," he replied slowly, tilting his head as he studied her face. But she just ducked into her room, and he didn't see her again for a few hours.

X-X-X-X

They sat talking with Leyla for a long time, just catching up on how her training and studies were going, and it was late when Jaina finally suggested it was time for her to go to bed. Kissing her goodnight, she and Kyp slipped from her small room and walked slowly through the quiet corridors of the temple, footsteps echoing off the stone walls.

When they emerged into the cool night air, Kyp started to head straight towards the cabin they shared, but Jaina tugged on the sleeve of his robe, leading him in a slightly different direction. "Let's walk a bit," she murmured. "It's a nice night."

Sparing her a quick glance of surprise, he nonetheless acquiesced and they set off, hands tucked in pockets, cloaks drawn tight about them against a steady breeze.

The direction Jaina chose led them to the tree-line about a hundred meters off of the temple, and she slipped noiselessly into the forest, instinctively picking out safe footing and sidestepping jutting roots and patches of prickly or thorny undergrowth. "It's sort of nice, being away from Yavin," she murmured lowly, and he strained to hear her voice over the nighttime sounds of the foliage. "No big predators here, nothing that would harm a human…"

"No piranha beetles," Kyp agreed, remembering the carnivorous insects with a barely-suppressed shudder.

"I wonder what the moon is like now."

As did he, but neither wanted to speculate aloud. A lengthy but comfortable silence fell between them as Jaina picked seemingly random paths between the trees, taking them in a wide loop that generally circled the area where their cabin sat, Kyp thought.

"Thanks for doing this, Kyp."

He started out of a slight reverie. "For hiking in the dark with you?" he teased gently.

She swatted at his arm. "For… agreeing to do something I had no right to ask of you. For being here for me and Leyla, for helping to protect Jag's child…"

"He did the same for mine," Kyp pointed out, voice thick.

Jaina actually laughed dryly. "Mildly ironic, that."

"That's one word for it."

Another long silence hung in the air as she steered them slightly around, angling back towards the huge clearing where the temple and its outlying buildings stood. "Do you ever wonder what it could have been like, if things had been different?"

Her words took a moment to register. "What things?" he frowned. Her hand came up to rest on his forearm, urging him to a stop, still several meters inside the tree line.

"Things between us, Kyp."

He took an involuntary step back and away from her. "No," he answered immediately. "I don't wonder that."

"Why not?"

He bit back an exasperated sigh. "Because what you and I had was… a farce." She blinked, and he felt that she was slightly hurt by his words. "I was looking for a distraction from war and death, and you were it."

"I see." She turned quickly and began to walk towards the clearing, a stiffness hindering her steps.

"Jaina… I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"I understand," she assured him easily, not stopping, but slowing her pace to allow him to catch up. "You're right, of course." He stared at her even but hollow tone. "I'm tired," she finally managed softly after an uneasy silence.

They went the rest of the way to the cabin in relative silence, and parted ways for the night. Hesitantly, Kyp expanded his awareness and felt Jaina lying awake, feeling disturbed and conflicted for a long time before she drifted slowly into sleep. And then Kyp lay awake for another half hour, feeling bad for deliberately encroaching on her privacy like that, but wondering what was bothering her so much.

X-X-X-X

Yaga Minor was oddly dichotomous; known predominantly through the galaxy for its shipbuilding centers, the orbital industrial stations were largely worked and inhabited by humans. The planet itself, however, was mountainous and forested, largely covered in oceans, and populated by insectoid hive-species.

And so it was that today's rendez-vous was to take place in one of the micro-cities aboard an orbital platform facility, where the sight of three ordinary humans would not be amiss, and where a lone chiss would not be considered odd, given the proximity of Yaga Minor to the border between the Imperial Remnant and Chiss space.

It might have been considered odder if outside observers realized that the lone chiss was actually serving as a lookout for the three humans- but he was very good at his job, at remaining discreet and unobtrusive, and at being constantly aware of his surroundings.

Consequently, Cem Fel felt extremely secure as he sat with a forced casualness and awaited the two Jedi with whom Luke Skywalker had put him into contact. Their contact thus far had consisted of heavily encrypted messages, and with no way to verify their identity- even if he'd known it- he felt a mild trepidation at the prospect of today's meeting.

But only a mild one- Ashik was _very_ good at his job.

A shadow fell over his table in the mildly seedy cantina, and he looked up slowly and cocked a brow. Before him stood a tall woman with long auburn hair… but she was dwarfed by the man with her. He had to be some two meters tall with long black hair held back by a thong, and his eyes were a sharp emerald green. Cem wordlessly gestured for the two to take a seat and they slid easily into the proffered chairs.

"Drink?" he asked dryly.

The woman quirked a smile and looked pointedly at the full glass in front of him. "You don't seem to trust the wares," she pointed out.

"I always heard the Jedi were smart."

The man chuckled. "Then for the sake of appearances, let's say we'll have what you're… not having."

"Very well." He touched their selections in a servi-system and less than a minute later, a serving droid whirred over with the drinks, setting them down sloppily in front of the two newcomers. The woman deposited an appropriate number of credcoins into a slot on the machine. Once that was done, the three leaned forward as though having any other normal meeting among acquaintances. "So," Cem brought his glass to his lips and sipped ever-so-slightly. "I'm told that the two of you are to be trusted to the utmost."

"Depends on what you want," the woman's lips quirked good-naturedly. "I'm Tahlia," she offered. "He's Zekk. No last names."

"So it's me who isn't to be trusted?"

"No," Zekk chuckled, "she means that neither of us _have_ a last name. At least, none that we can remember."

Cem nodded a wry acknowledgement. "Fair enough; my name is Davik Antell."

"How about red-eyes watching us?" He stiffened slightly, but supposed he shouldn't have tried to catch a couple of Jedi unawares. "Sorry," Tahlia offered. "We've been here a while."

"So it would seem." A mildly terse silence fell over the table during which they all sipped lightly at their drinks. "Master Skywalker tells me that you've been investigating the deaths of Aristocra Chaf'orm'bintrano, Baron Fel, and his son, the ambassador."

Zekk inclined his head marginally. "And just what is it you have to offer to the investigation?"

"At the moment- nothing, at least not until I know a little more about you. Such as what your stake in the matter is?"

The tall Jedi smiled easily. "See, and who's calling who suspicious? And to answer your question… the ambassador's widow is one of my oldest friends and… I had a great deal of respect for Jag. And as for Tahlia… we're a team." He shrugged.

Cem regarded them closely. "I suppose that will have to do for now. As for what I have to offer… information, access to files you've never even dreamed of and… my services, as well as those of my companion."

"Hold on," Tahlia held up a hand. "What about _you_? It's odd enough to see a human and a chiss working together, but what's your stake in the matter, and why do you think you can trust him? I think the Chiss have pretty well displayed their disdain for humans among their numbers."

"I trust him because he has sworn his loyalty to the Fel family- as have I." He saw the skeptical glance exchanged between the two, and decided to take the risk. Leaning forward, he spoke softly. "I wonder- are either of you familiar with the Chiss custom of raising a 'shadow child'?"

"Sure," Zekk replied off-handedly. "The practice of keeping one child secret, right? In case the family acquires enemies- foreign and domestic- who try to wipe out an entire…" he trailed away and studied the man's face opposite him for a long moment. "Oh."

"Oh indeed."

Tahlia was a moment longer on the uptake, but after several seconds, her eyes widened and went from confusion to understanding.

Cem continued speaking in low tones. "I have now revealed to the two of you a secret known by a half-dozen beings in the entire galaxy. I trust that my faith is not misplaced?"

"Of course not." Zekk hesitated. "What is your goal here then?"

"Not to claim my father's titles and wealth, if that is what you are concerned about," Cem said smoothly. "My father already intended to leave the Ascendancy before his demise, and I will honor that wish. However, I will not let justice go undone. Families have been torn apart, and I would that they had some closure in the matter."

**A/N**: Bear with me if there are any update issues tomorrow (shouldn't be, but just in case)- we've been having a wee-bit of internet difficulty.


	17. Part 16

**A/N: **_**Future ADA**_- ahaha, I'm glad I could change your Jaina/Jag thoughts through the power of fanfiction. Having said that… I don't understand the fan-hatred of Jag. I mean, he's a total dick in _Dark Nest_, but Jaina and Zekk & co. really aren't any better… anyway, perhaps I'm something of an oddity, but I can go any way on Jaina/Kyp, Jaina/Jag, or Jaina/Zekk… in fact, I think I've written all three…

Anyway, you'll have to let me know how you feel about Jaina and Kyp getting back together after this chapter, muahaha.

**Part XVI**

_Six Weeks Later_

Kyp woke with a start and first thought that the light pattering of rain against the outside of the cabin was what had caused it. After a moment though, he realized that something felt wrong… not dangerous, but... just wrong. He first touched the small but slowly growing life to whom he'd maintained a constant connection for four months now. There was nothing out of the ordinary, the fetus was technically five months along, right around two and a half in 'ruse time,' as Kyp had begun to think of it, and in actual developmental progress, somewhere in the middle. Still too small to have any sort of a developed mind, Kyp had nevertheless begun to sense something of a reflexive response to his frequent probes and Force persuasions.

Once reassured that his 'charge,' if one could so call it, was alright, he extended his awareness to Jaina directly- and frowned at the detached state of her mind. At first, he thought she might be asleep, but her mind felt more distant than anything, and he cursed under his breath. Swinging his legs out of bed and rubbing sleep from his eyes, he grabbed a cloak and wrapped it around his bedclothes-clad form.

Double-checking to make sure he wasn't just being paranoid, Kyp keyed off the safety mechanism on Jaina's door and entered the code to release the door- if the latter was done before the former, the door would essentially seal itself from the inside and create a temporary fortress, buying plenty of time to call for assistance.

As predicted, the room was empty, and Kyp quickly reached out again in the Force. If Jaina had just gone up to the temple- _why_ she would have done so, in the middle of the night, was anyone's guess- but no, she was just… walking.

Had he been less concerned about her mental state, Kyp would have let it go for another hour. Such as things were… finding her quickly struck him as the best option. Drawing his hood up against the light rain, he stepped out into the night and let the Force be his guide, finding himself quickly drawn towards the forested area not far from the cabin.

As he stepped through the tree line, Kyp was grateful for the light of twin moons that night. True, it was cloudy, but the clouds simply served to spread the moonlight further, better enabling him to see around him as he used the Force to try to pinpoint a direction and distance towards Jaina.

It didn't take long. Maybe five minutes after setting foot outside the cabin, he spotted her. Her hair hung limp and damp around her face but she didn't seem to mind as she meandered apparently aimlessly through the trees. The moonlight reflected off of her pale skin, slick with raindrops, and accentuated the fact that she hadn't donned a cloak for her late-night stroll.

Biting back a growl, Kyp hurried forward. "Jaina!" he called out to her, and only after the third shout did she seem to register him at all, starting slightly and then stopping, but not turning. "Jaina," he drew alongside her and pulled her arm gently to turn her to face him, "what the hell are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep," she offered faintly.

"So you decided to take a nice walk in the rain, without a cloak, in your pajamas?" he demanded.

She glanced down once, as though to verify his words, then shrugged listlessly.

"Damn it, Jaina," he bit, turning her fully around to face the direction from which he came. "Come on, you're going to make yourself sick like this…" She allowed herself to be steered and then walked forward without protest. "What were you doing out here?"

For a long moment, she said nothing, and he struggled to read much from her mind. Then, meekly, she said, "Kyp… I'm cold."

Mentally cursing his thoughtlessness- and her stupidity- he made to take off his cloak, but a hand at his forearm stopped him. "No," she whispered. "Not physically… I'm just… _cold_… inside…"

He stared at her, alarm spiking, and started to wonder if he shouldn't take her to the med center. He should have been able to sense if she were ill though… and for everything that might have been wrong with her, none of the problems were going to be solved by Tekli or any of the other healers, Jedi or otherwise.

"Come here," he murmured, pulling her close against him and swinging the cloak around her small and trembling form. "You're shaking, you _are_ cold…" Walking close together like that, they made slower progress back to the cabin, but the trek still took under ten minutes.

When they were inside, he led her instantly to her own room and pointed to the dresser. "Put some dry clothes on," he ordered. "Take a hot sanisteam if you have to, but warm yourself back up. I'll be waiting in the living room."

He gave her ten minutes, and when she still hadn't emerged, he went to the half-open door and tapped lightly. "Jaina?" he called softly, wondering if exhaustion had sent her straight to bed instead.

"Come in."

He did so as she was pulling a sleeveless sleep shirt over her head, catching a brief glimpse of her bare back before she tugged the shirt down and straightened it before turning to face him. "Are you going to yell at me now, like I'm a petulant child?"

"I should," his mouth quirked in a wry, lopsided smile. "That wasn't the smartest maneuver."

"I can take care of myself."

"Jaina," he spoke with forced patience, "you didn't even take a proper cloak out on a cool night in the middle of a rain shower in the woods." He smiled sadly. "What are you doing to yourself?"

Scowling, she looked down at the floor. "I just… needed to be outside," she murmured. "I felt trapped, claustrophobic…"

He studied her for a moment. "You have another life to think about right now," he pointed out somberly. "If you get yourself sick, remember that it could affect the baby too."

For a minute, she looked stricken and guilty… and then a soft smile spread across her face and she crossed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around Kyp's waist and pressing her cheek against his chest while he awkwardly embraced her in return. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "That was selfish of me… after all you've done… what did I do to deserve you, Kyp?"

"I'm a sucker for a girl who goes on middle-of-the-night strolls in the rain," he deadpanned, and she laughed before leaning up and kissing his cheek softly.

"I'm serious though," she whispered, looking up into his eyes, a mixture of nervousness and shyness in her eyes confusing him. "You've been kind and helpful and supportive… more than I ever really deserved from you…" he opened his mouth to protest… and froze when she leaned up again and pressed her lips to his.

It was at once alien and familiar a sensation; shock held him in place a second longer than he would have liked to admit, but he mastered his surprise and pulled back slightly, reaching his hands up to press against her shoulders. "What are you doing?" he asked lightly, with a tinge of suspicion lacing his tone.

"Kissing you," she returned evenly, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes," he drawled, still holding her at arm's length, "I got that part. _Why_?"

She tilted her head and smiled again. "Because I want to." And pushing easily through his light touch to her shoulders, she reached up and draped her arms around his neck before capturing his lips more forcefully this time. He closed his eyes as she ran her tongue along his lower lip and, with _slightly_ more effort, pushed her gently away again.

"Jaina, stop. This isn't… you don't want this."

Her huff of frustration reminded him of when she was younger, more unpredictable, less mature… which didn't really help, because _that_ reminded him of when the two of them had carried on a whirlwind romance over the course of a couple months, while stationed aboard the _Mon Mothma_ together…

"How do you know what I want?" she murmured finally.

He smiled thinly. "Because I can feel your every emotion in the Force Jaina, it's what you _asked_ of me four months ago. And there's a lot going on in your head… but not this. And if you would just open yourself up to the Force again and stop hiding from it, you would-"

She smirked wickedly and cut him off. "How's this for going on in my head?"

Frowning at first, he stared at her. And then he felt it… sensations out of a memory, and vague images, reminding him of the very time he had just shoved from his mind… _a seventeen-year-old_ _Jaina straddling him, breathing heavily as he slowly pulled her robe aside… him lifting her shirt over her head, pressing her back to the bed to remove her shorts, baring her fully to him for the first time… her pressed beneath him, urging him to take her, to be her first… _

With a growl, he seized her upper arms in a bruising grip and pulled her close again. "_Don't_ test me, Jaina," he hissed. "I could do it, you know…" he leaned his mouth close to her ear. "I could take what you're offering to me, consequences be damned. I could make you mine again…" she shivered, and he wasn't sure if it was out of fear or anticipation- or both. "Hell, it might even make you forget some of your pain… for a minute, an hour… maybe for a night…"

He pulled back a little and looked down at her, loosening his grip on her arms slightly but not releasing them. "And you know what would happen then?" he skimmed the back of his hand lightly across her cheek and she closed her eyes, leaning into the touch. "You would wake up, and the pain would still be there… only this time, it would hurt worse after you'd shunned it… and you would funnel it to me instead, would hate me for taking advantage…"

"You're not taking advantage," she murmured, still leaning into his touch.

"No," he agreed, moving his hand abruptly and giving her shoulders the smallest shake. "You are."

Her eyes flew open, and they went from confused to hurt to outraged in less than a second. She raised a hand and swung to slap him- he caught her wrist centimeters from his face and they stood frozen like that for several seconds. Then, with a soft sigh, Kyp twisted her hand around gently and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles.

She slumped slightly and dropped her arm; he released it, but reached out with his other arm and turned her body, guiding her to the bed. "Sit," he ordered quietly. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to refuse, out of petty defiance more than anything else, but after a moment of hesitation, she did so, falling heavily, looking defeated. Her expression turned to surprise though when he sat down close beside her, body angled to face hers.

"You're asking something of me that you thought I'd be unable, or unwilling, to refuse," he explained slowly and gently. "Because you know that Leyla was right about one thing- I _do_ still love you, Jaina." Her eyes widened slightly but she remained silent. "But that love has evolved from the love of youthful passion to one that's much more mature… the love for a dear friend… the love for someone who has given me more chances than I rightfully deserve… the love for the mother of my daughter…"

The first tears were welling in her eyes, and he knew that he had finally broken through to her. He continued on though; she needed to hear it.

"And maybe that's enough for you," he said hoarsely. "But not for me- you're looking for something to fill a void, and if only there was something I could do to help you… but I'm not Jag, Jaina… and I have too much respect for who he was as a friend, as a person, to try and replace him in your heart, if only for a night."

Silent sobs wracked her body and she turned away from him, embarrassed and ashamed. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder; she jerked it away. "Get out, Kyp," she muttered thickly.

"No." She stiffened. "Just because I won't give you what you asked, doesn't mean I don't want to help you…" He reached out once more and pulled her to him. After a moment of stiff resistance, she slumped against him, allowed him to wrap his arms tight around her. "You feel lonely and abandoned, Jaina," he murmured quietly. "But you aren't alone, because _I'm_ here, and I'll never abandon you."

He stayed with her that night and held her close to him until she fell asleep- it didn't take long, she was exhausted both physically and emotionally. As he pulled away to give her a more respectable distance, however, his hand drifted across her abdomen… where he felt the slightest swelling that signified the baby growing inside of her.

Sending the vaguest of reassuring touches into the unrefined mind growing there, Kyp began to worry. If all went according to plan, the baby would be delivered in another six or seven months… but what kind of life would it be coming into? Leyla had been born into a loving relationship, even if it hadn't technically been between her parents.

With Jag dead and Jaina in a seemingly unbreakable depression… what kind of life would they have to offer this child?


	18. Part 17

**Part XVII**

_Three Months Later_

Leyla stood close to Jaina as they waited for the various passengers to disembark from the _Millennium Falcon_. Kyp hovered a bit in the background, and was poorly concealing his nervousness, both physically and mentally. "Kyp," Jaina muttered, catching him fidgeting out of the corner of her eye again, "calm down. It's just family."

"Yeah, family and _Wedge_," he shot back quietly. "He'll kill me."

"He won't kill you, daddy."

Kyp smiled thinly down at Leyla. "Whatever you say, princess."

"Maybe he won't notice," Jaina said reasonably, grinning wryly.

He shot a skeptical look to her cloak-swathed form. "Jaina, far be it from me to say anything about your size…"

"She isn't _that_ big," Leyla came to her mother's defense, and Jaina smiled gratefully down at her. "And daddy, I'm _not_ a princess."

"Keep leaving me out to hang like that and maybe I'll find some nice nobleperson on Hapes to sell you to, they'd make you a princess in no time…"

Jaina gave an exaggerated shudder. "Careful, Leyla- a fate worse than death, that."

"Is that why the Queen Mother spent so much time on Dathomir when she was the princess?" Leyla had met Tenel Ka on a few assorted visits over the years, and Jaina had been beyond happy to see her old friend a month prior when she had made a discreet visit to the academy. During some of the rare chances they got to sit and talk, Tenel Ka told Leyla some assorted stories of visiting the wild world of her mother's people, and Leyla had been suitably impressed.

Kyp muttered under his breath. "She just likes scaring men with her rancors…" Jaina's mouth quirked but she fought from retorting as she saw her mother and brother descend the _Falcon_'s landing ramp.

Smiling softly, she walked quickly forward- Kyp noticed that she purposefully let her cloak hang loose about her, masking the sizeable bulge that was a pretty instant giveaway of her pregnancy. She didn't hide it… but she didn't make it easy to spot. At eight months pregnant- about five and a half months of normal development by his calculation and efforts- the telltale signs were certainly there. "Mom," she leaned in close and let Leia draw her into a hug. She then turned to her brother who looked at her carefully for a moment before smiling and embracing her gently, as though afraid she'd break, and kissing her cheek.

Han was less subtle. He came bounding down the ramp and practically crushed his daughter to him. "Hey, kid," he murmured. "We've missed you."

"_Kid_?" Jaina cocked a brow, looking remarkably like her father. "Dad, I'm thirty years old."

"So you are," he released her abruptly and turned to search out Leyla. "So let's pay attention to people who appreciate my doting… hey, birthday girl! How old are you now? Sixteen? Eighteen?"

"Han, _please_ don't get ahead of yourself there," Kyp muttered, and Jaina laughed behind her hand.

Leyla smiled widely as Jacen hugged her and swung her around. "Happy birthday, I can't believe it's been six months… you're getting big, you'll be taller than your mom soon enough…"

"Yeah, why did _you_ get the height genes?" Jaina scowled playfully at her twin. "Ah well… dad says I'm scrappy."

"True enough," a new voice broke in, and Jaina spun to see that Wedge had finally descended the ramp, Threepio following close behind him… but it wasn't Wedge who spoke. Coming behind Threepio, cape swirling back behind him, was a familiar face, but one Jaina had not seen in some time.

"Lando!" she exclaimed.

"Surprise," the suave men ducked past Wedge and took her hand, kissing the back of it once before turning and doing the same to Leyla, who giggled while Kyp scowled. "I was around and thought I'd tag along," he shrugged, before turning somber. He leaned in close to Jaina and clasped her shoulders. "And I never got the chance to say how sorry I am, Jaina. Jag was a good man."

Kyp felt the flash of pain and saw the flicker of her eyes… but she kept herself under control and gave Lando a brave smile. "Thanks, Lando," she murmured thickly. "I'm… getting by. Being out here, away from the hustle and bustle of Coruscant… it's been therapeutic." With effort, she forced herself to turn and smile at the last person, Jag's uncle, Wedge Antilles. "Wedge," she came forward. "I'm glad you were able to make it."

He embraced her gently. "Wouldn't have missed the chance to visit for anything," he assured her. "And…" he hesitated. "Syal and Wyn send their greetings."

Jaina swallowed thickly. "How are they?"

"Syal is adapting well to life back on Corellia. I think… having Myri and my Syal to dote on has helped ease a bit of her loneliness, especially with Wyn being so far away, on Bastion."

Jaina smiled at that. "How are your girls?"

He flashed a roguish smile. "Troublesome as ever. You'd get along fabulously with Syal though, she's becoming quite the ace pilot herself, she wants to join the Fleet soon." That thought made him scowl slightly, but he sighed. "Guess I should have seen it coming though; Myri takes more after her mother in a lot of ways, so it was only a matter of time before Syal wanted to follow in my starfighter footsteps."

"Daughters," Han nodded sagely. "Tricky creatures, all of 'em."

"Hey!" Leyla exclaimed.

"Except you of course, dear," Leia assured her, grinning.

Kyp just rolled his eyes and clapped his arm around Leyla's shoulders.

X-X-X-X

The group- a fairly large one, once Luke, Mara, and Ben were added into the mix- splintered that night after dinner and dessert. Jaina joined her parents to talk quietly in their temporary quarters in the temple, Leyla and Ben ran off to see some mutual friends, Lando and Wedge retired for the night, and Jacen took the opportunity to pull Kyp aside.

The two strolled slowly around the perimeter of the temple grounds, talking seriously. "Kyp, give me a straight answer," Jacen didn't pull any punches. "How is she?"

The older man ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "She's… better than she was."

"I barely feel her in the Force anymore."

Kyp made a slight noise of frustration. "I know. I thought… I'd hoped… that she'd have gotten through this by now. But it's like she just gives everything she has into protecting the baby- from herself or from others, I can't say."

"But you can get through to her," Jacen pressed.

He shot him a look. "When I want to- when I _need_ to," he amended, "I can extend my connection from the fetus to touch Jaina's mind directly."

Jacen's brows rose skeptically. "And just how often do you _need_ to?"

Kyp pursed his lips and looked down at the ground for several seconds as they walked. "I won't try to deny, Jacen… she's had me worried a couple of times. It's gotten better," he assured him. "But… a few months ago, I woke up and she was just outside, walking in the rain, no cloak, shivering and cold… and for the life of me, I couldn't get a satisfactory answer about what she was doing, why she was out there. And I brought her back in, but she was just… different, confused, _hurting_."

He wouldn't tell Jacen about what Jaina had offered that night, had asked… but something of his thoughts much have shone through, if only slightly. "You're taking care of her, right Kyp?" Jacen tilted his head to one side and regarded the Jedi Master carefully.

"As far as she'll let me."

"And you aren't…?" Jacen went pink and looked quickly away, snapping his mouth shut.

Kyp just chuckled wryly. "Are we _involved_? No, Jacen, think a little better of me than that, hm?"

"Sorry. You seem to have a rhythm, is all… watching the two of you together, it just seems very… fluid, very connected, very in tune with one another."

He shrugged wearily. "We've been living in close quarters for six months, I've been constantly connected to her for seven… though I suppose it really only helps along the façade if other people think as you do."

"Hm…" they walked in companionable silence for several minutes, eventually turning and veering back towards the temple itself. "Kyp… when she has this baby… will she be able to handle it?"

He looked up sharply. "Will she be able to handle giving birth?" he demanded. "Or… afterwards?"

"Afterwards."

Kyp passed a hand across his brow and leaned heavily against the exterior temple stones. "It'll be hard. I think she shields the baby so that _she_ doesn't have to feel it, though she'd never admit it. And months' worth of suppressed anger and depression are going to come bounding back when she has Jag's child in front of her, in her arms, when she's expected to care for it…" He looked off into the distance, eyes slightly glassy as he touched the small life to which he was constantly connected. "But as long as it takes, I _will_ be there to help her, Jacen. I swore to her that she wouldn't be alone, that I wouldn't abandon her, and if it means that I care for her child as my own, then that will only have begun to repay the debt I've owed her and Jag for twelve years now."

"Happy birthday, Leyla," Jacen murmured in acknowledgement of the absolute truth of Kyp's words.

X-X-X-X

"I trust you've a good reason for keeping me so long in suspense…"

The image crackled a little bit, and the dark-haired figure on the other end frowned as he reached over and toggled something. The screen cleared slightly before going hazy again, and he bit back a soft curse. "I apologize, Master Skywalker," Zekk spread his hands apologetically. "As does Tahlia; but things have been… tricky here."

"You know," Luke said wryly, "when I first contacted you, I expected this to be a couple-month operation at most. You've been flitting in between Chiss and Imperial space for seven months now, Zekk… you're going to have to bring it in soon."

"Not yet," Zekk broke in quickly. "Not after all this time and effort we've expended…"

Luke sighed in frustration. "If you haven't made progress in all this time-"

"We have," Zekk said earnestly. "More than you could imagine; there's more going on beneath the surface than we suspected, there wasn't just a single family who wanted the Fels gone or dead."

Luke's brows shot up in alarm. "Zekk, you aren't there to kindle a civil war! If this is your associate's agenda, then so be it, but you've overstayed your mission and you're on the brink of disobeying orders."

The young man's eyes narrowed slightly and he glanced to the side for a moment before defiantly raising his chin and meeting Luke's eyes calmly. "Then consider them disobeyed, Master Skywalker."

"What do you think the Chiss will do when they realize they have Jedi meddling in their affairs?" Luke bit, calm veneer already left far behind. "They won't rest until you and Tahlia are dead, and then they'll go after Jaina, surely you realize that?"

Emerald eyes flickered, but his expression remained resolute. "I'm sorry, Master Skywalker. We will do what we must."

"Zekk…"

"Take care of Jaina."

"Damn it, Zekk!"

But the connection was cut. Luke groaned and leaned back in his chair, willing his nerves to calm, his emotions to level out. He knew very well that he was being undisciplined, but with everything else going on, with the effort already undertaken to protect his niece… Zekk and Tahlia's refusal to leave Chiss space incensed him, and he wondered if he should never have put them in league with Cem Fel.

When he returned to the small quarters he shared with Mara, she was sitting, chin resting in her palm, staring at him. "I haven't felt you this riled since you found me after Kyp memory-rubbed me," she commented idly, referring to the incident of more than four years ago when Kyp had obtained information from Mara on the organization that had kidnapped Leyla and then- with her permission- erased evidence of the encounter from her mind. "Has Kyp been at it again?" she asked sardonically.

"No," Luke sighed. "But I need to see him."

"Trouble?"

"I hope not."

She frowned. "Now?"

He considered and then shook his head slightly. "It can wait until the _Falcon_ leaves this afternoon. I don't want to send Han and Leia into a panic."

"Luke, what's going on?"

Sitting heavily, he just shook his head and brooded for a minute. "I may have inadvertently started a war," he finally murmured softly.

X-X-X-X

"Next stop, Corellia," Han announced as he pulled back the hyperspace levers and watched the stars streak into lines. "Known for its fine ales, fried foods, cantina brawls, and corrupt politicians."

"Home sweet home," Wedge agreed.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Anyone want a drink? Something that's _not_ Corellian ale," she looked at Han and Wedge pointedly. The latter pouted dramatically before grinning, unbuckling his crash-webbing, and standing.

"If there's no ale on the menu, guess I'll have to see what inferior options I have…"

Shaking her head bemusedly, Leia followed him aft after getting requests from Han, Lando, and Jacen. "Wedge, how many times have you been aboard this ship, you know what Han has programmed into the…" she trailed away as she entered the galley and found Wedge just standing there, arms crossed, staring her down. "Yes?" she cocked a brow.

"Leia, I didn't want to bring this up before, and I know it isn't my place, but… is Jaina… pregnant?"

She closed her eyes for a moment and pursed her lips as she drew the curtain over the galley area, giving them a semblance of privacy. "Don't judge her too harshly, Wedge."

"It's not her I'm judging," Wedge returned, scowling. "That sort of emotional blow, it makes people vulnerable. But it seems that Durron didn't waste any time capitalizing on that, now did he?"

Leia met his gaze steadily. "You're sure the baby is Kyp's?"

He flushed. "Isn't it?"

Steeling herself, Leia barely managed to keep her expression and voice even and controlled as she lied straight to his face. "I don't know."

"You don't _know_?"

"Come on, Wedge," Leia reproved, "Jaina is fragile, and she's probably a bit embarrassed about the whole thing, I'm not about to attack her and demand an explanation. And Kyp… they aren't a couple now, I do know that much, and he's been nothing but supportive and protective of her. And," her voice became a little harder, "if it is Kyp's child, then I have complete faith that he'll be as considerate and protective of him or her as he is of Leyla. Understood?"

Wedge nodded jerkily. "Of course, Leia. I'm sorry if I seem… crass."

"You're Corellian; it's a biological predisposition."

X-X-X-X

That night, she knew he was coming long before the door to her room slid quietly open. And the Force had nothing to do with that knowledge- she just knew Kyp too well, and knew that her own meager attempts to suppress her mood weren't nearly enough to block him out. As such, it had become something of a habit- not a frequent one, but perhaps recurring four or five times in the past three months- when he picked up on the lowest of her moods, to come silently to her room.

No words were ever exchanged. He always stayed until she fell asleep, regardless of how long it took. And when she woke the next morning, he was always gone. As though there was a fine line between snuggling her to sleep and actually spending the night in her bed.

Maybe there was; in either case, the only time she'd woken up to find him still with her was the morning after she'd kissed him. The memory of the night before had made her go red- perhaps he had mistaken her embarrassment as a result of his sleeping there, rather than her own shame over the prior night.

The bed dipped slightly from his weight as he slid under the blankets. She lifted her head up slightly- and silently- while he slid a hand beneath the pillow, under the hollow of her neck, and the other slid around her waist. It was a well-established routine- not from the past three months, but from when they had been spending most nights together some thirteen years ago now, alternating between their cabins aboard the _Mon Mothma_.

Except now, as the hand slid around her waist, it came to rest on her swelling middle in an almost protective gesture. Smiling a bit wistfully, she brought her own hand to rest on top of his, and their fingers interlocked almost without conscious effort on either of their parts.

She briefly pondered breaking protocol and saying something; that she was alright, she was just missing her family already… that she was grateful for his support and understanding… that he should stay, she didn't want to wake up alone anymore…

No words were ever exchanged; really, there was nothing to be said.

And the next morning, she woke alone.


	19. Part 18

**Part XVIII**

_Two Months Later_

It was a fast touch, so fast that he was scarcely sure that he'd felt it, moments later. Consequently, he was more than a little inclined to believe that he imagined the identity of the presence that had brushed him, considering that the man had been on his mind with unusual frequency lately, after his talk with Luke. But as he reached out and searched for the suddenly vanished presence, his gut told him that he had not been mistaken, that the subtle sensation had come from Zekk, the errant Jedi who had so glaringly defied Master Skywalker.

Not that anyone knew that, besides Luke and himself, and perhaps Mara.

Kyp had been furious when Luke had somberly informed him of what had transpired, first and foremost at Zekk for knowingly endangering Jaina- and possibly Syal and Wyn Fel- more and more with every day they remained in Chiss space, with every passing moment that they could be discovered.

A brief debate had ensued- to tell Jaina or not, to move her or not. Kyp had flatly refused to do either, insisting that telling her would only make her worry about Zekk _and_ would just remind her about what she was trying to move beyond. And, quite frankly, nowhere was safer than Ossus, with its dozens of Jedi and Jedi trainees, and especially with the presence of Master Skywalker. Between the two of them, Kyp was confident that any danger would be well foreseen.

Therefore, it was only with a slight unease that he sought out Luke a short while later, rather than a full-fledged panic. He found the Jedi Master on the roof of the temple, meditating, and he sat cross-legged opposite him, waiting to be acknowledged.

Some five or ten minutes later- which Kyp had spent again searching the area with his attuned senses for anything out of the ordinary- Luke opened his eyes slowly. "What troubles you, Kyp?"

He wasted no time. "Have you heard from Zekk or Tahlia recently?"

Luke sighed. "No, not since I last spoke with you on the matter." Two months, then. "Why?"

"I… thought I felt Zekk's mind brush mine briefly. Just for an instant."

The older man bit his lip in consternation. "I'm sure nothing bad has happened to them," he spoke lowly. "But beyond that…"

"Any news out of the Ascendancy?"

An exhausted laugh greeted that question. "What little news we get… nothing horribly surprising. A prominent member of one of the Ruling Families went missing sometime around a week ago. Tensions are mounting as the progressives are resurging…"

"Well that wouldn't have anything to do with Zekk and Tahlia," Kyp reasoned.

Luke nodded slowly. Kyp, of course, didn't know about Cem and Ashik, from whom Luke's concerns truly stemmed. "You may have been mistaken about the presence," Luke murmured. "I sense no evidence of either of them here on Ossus, though it is always possible that they're masking themselves, I suppose. I'll look into the flight logs, see if we have any recent arrivals."

Nodding tersely, Kyp stood and took his leave, winding down stairs and taking a turbolift to the ground level, where he headed swiftly towards the cabin he shared with Jaina. She was in the temple, he knew, and as safe as she was going to be while on the forested planet consequently; but a lingering unease made him want to check on their small abode, verify that everything was alright, and determine if he still felt that they could remain on Ossus after all.

X-X-X-X

"_Lieutenant Solo, there's someone asking to see you at hangar alpha-one-six."_

_She frowned heavily as she pulled her comlink from her utility belt. "Who is it, sergeant?" _

"_I'm sorry, Great One, he wouldn't give his name. He indicated that he would be… expected."_

_A faintest tingle of fear flickered in her stomach, but she suppressed it quickly. Her uncle would have alerted her if Kyp had escaped and, in any case, she would have sensed his presence if he'd come looking for her… _

_Which meant… probably… Jag. _

_She sighed. "I'll be right there, thank you, sergeant."_

X-X-X-X

"You're getting big," Leyla remarked matter-of-factly.

Jaina shot her a look and reached over to ruffle her hair. "Thanks for that."

Leyla shrugged. "I think it's exciting. It means I get a sibling soon. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" her eyes widened in excitement.

A flicker of pain flashed through Jaina's eyes. "No," she murmured. "I'm not sure." She was almost positive that Kyp knew- or at least that he could have figured it out if he'd wanted to. But she wouldn't- couldn't- look for herself. Not yet…

"Do you want me to try?"

Jaina met Leyla's eyes sadly, wondering just what her daughter thought at that moment, realizing how withdrawn her mother had become, that she wouldn't reach out in the Force to touch her own baby, growing inside her. "I think I'd like to be surprised," she finally murmured softly. "What about you?"

But Leyla's smile was all encouragement and reassurance. "I'd like that too."

Grinning, Jaina took Leyla's hand and pulled her down a corridor, towards a large chamber filled with fountains and little streams- a favorite place for many students to meditate or just congregate, but for the moment, it was mostly empty. Choosing an isolated corner, they settled down on a bench. "What about names?" Jaina asked. "Should we start thinking about some good ones? We only have a couple months now, it might take that long to agree on something," she teased.

Leyla bit her lip. "If it's a boy, could we name him after dad?"

The flash of pain was less intense that time. "That's a good idea," Jaina murmured, though the thought had occurred to her several times already. "We'll… have to see what Kyp says."

Leyla nodded solemnly, recognizing what Jaina was doing, reminding her about the ruse. They were in public, if anyone so happened as to hear them, it had to sound real…

"How about Azalea?"

Jaina shook her head immediately and scrunched her face.

"Cyrus?"

"Eh…"

"Oriana?"

"…maybe…"

"Nuru?"

"Where do you come up with these?"

"What about-?"

"How about Zekk?"

Jaina whipped around as a familiar, deep voice rang out over the sound of nearby flowing water. A slow smile spread across her face and she stood quickly- as quickly as her bulging middle allowed, anyway- and crossed her arms as he approached them. Leyla, familiar with and fond of the tall Jedi from a young age, ran forward a few steps to meet him and he hugged her quickly, an amusing sight due to the height differential. He released her and turned his attention to Jaina.

For a moment, they stared. "You've been off the radar for quite some time," she said pointedly, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of her mouth still.

"I've been rather busy," he returned somberly. He covered the distance between them in two strides and studied her at arm's length. "Sorry I haven't been in touch."

"Not like you've missed much of anything." She hadn't intended the words to sound bitter, but that's how they came off. Flushing, she looked down, sighed, and met his eyes again. "And don't say it, I know."

He blinked. "You know what?"

She cocked a sardonic brow. "Either I've been doing some stress-eating, or I'm pregnant."

His expression turned to one of discomfiture. "Jaina, look… about that…"

He might have continued talking, she wasn't sure. A sudden jolt shook her, and the next moment she was leaning heavily against the wall, gasping for breath. She wasn't in pain, but something was wrong, and she couldn't figure out what for a long minute as she stared glassily ahead into nothingness.

"Jaina?"

"_Kyp_," she muttered.

"Mom!" Leyla tugged on her hand and tried to get her to focus her gaze. "Mom, what is it?"

And in a heartbeat, she knew. A sense of panic was bubbling up inside her, but it wasn't _her_ panic… "I can't feel Kyp," she murmured, swaying with sudden dizziness.

"No, Jaina, it's fine," Zekk said urgently. "Kyp is fine, it's just ysalamiri… Jaina?"

He caught her before she sank to the ground.

X-X-X-X

_It was a long walk, but the painful and frustrating thoughts running through her mind made it feel like half the usual time. She hadn't really expected Jag to just accept her departing without a word, but if he'd just tried to send her a message, she could have ignored it- and continued ignoring further communications- until he gave up. But for him to show up here- how he'd finagled that one from Antilles, she could only guess- it meant that she'd have to hurt him enough to convince him to go and not come back. And she didn't want to do that, didn't want to hurt him more than she already had, than she already would when the truth came out… but it would be the only way. _

_As she rounded the corner of the corridor, the stiff posture made it evident that it was Jag, even from behind. Her footsteps were soft as she neared him, but he turned to face her when she was still several meters away. She stopped walking, and he covered the remaining space instantly. "Jagged," she addressed him as coolly as she was able to muster. "I'm impressed… I wasn't expecting you for at least another week."_

"_But you _were_ expecting me?"_

"_I thought you'd comm first."_

"_I didn't expect you'd take the calls." He didn't need the Force to catch the guilty flash in her features. "Jaina…" he murmured, reaching a hand out to cup her cheek. She backed away, scowling, and looked angrily up at him… and stopped. _

_Where she'd expected confusion, anger, frustration… there was only compassion, understanding… affection. _

_Why did he have to make this so hard on her?_

X-X-X-X

Once inside the cabin, Kyp checked the bedrooms and the security codes on Jaina's door. There was no sense of another presence, nothing indicated that anything had been tampered with, but the damned feeling would not abate, so he continued to pace sullenly for a few minutes, wondering what to do, what to tell Jaina and Leyla…

He started suddenly as he felt a surge of emotion from Jaina… unusual because it was a _good_ emotion, even more unusual because she was projecting more strongly in the Force than she had in months, since before they came to Ossus. He stretched out, extending his awareness to touch Jaina's mind more clearly, and he felt happiness, joy at seeing an old friend after a long absence…

_Zekk_.

"Shavit," Kyp muttered. So he _had_ felt the young Jedi's presence. Why he had masked it so quickly though… why he was _still_ masking it…

The sensation cut off abruptly and he gasped at the suddenness of the lost contact. At first, he thought Jaina had re-suppressed her emotions, had pulled back in tight around her own mind, around her womb to protect the vulnerable life there…

And then he realized a split second later that he couldn't feel that either. A millisecond of further panic passed before he realized that he was completely blind in the Force and that it was _he_ who was being blocked now, not Jaina. Or maybe both?

The only plausible explanation was ysalamiri, and it had to be close by. Cursing under his breath, Kyp pressed himself to the wall next to the door- unlocked- ready to spring on whoever dared come after Jaina, or perhaps after her unborn child. Deep down, he wondered if there was any possibility that Zekk's betrayal had been intended, or whether he had been tracked here. Perhaps the Chiss had been aware of his and Tahlia's presence in the Ascendancy all along, and were merely biding their time, waiting for them to get them close enough to get access to Jaina, even surrounded by Jedi trainees and Masters…

Missing the Force intensely, wondering how outnumbered he was about to be, wondering if he had time to reach his comlink and alert Luke that Jaina and Leyla were in danger, he reached slowly down for it… and froze as the door slowly opened, concealing him temporarily against whoever- or whatever- was entering the room.

He was surprised when only one black-cloaked figure crossed the threshold. Hooded, gloved and booted, it was impossible to tell from behind if it was a chiss, but that was hardly relevant. As the figure scanned the room, paused, then began to half-turn to gently press the door shut, Kyp sprung.

There was a brief and furious battle, made more or less even by Kyp's lack of the Force- he had the element of surprise, but the other was strong and perhaps better skilled in the grappling-style combat that ensued. In just a few seconds though, Kyp's lightsaber- a remarkably persuasive instrument, he thought ruefully- was ignited centimeters in front of the intruder's neck, and all struggle ceased as Kyp pinned his arms behind his body with his free arm.

"She's not here anyway," he snarled lowly. "So don't bother trying to summon any help. Now… how about you turn around nice and slowly, and we'll talk about _why_ you think I shouldn't just kill you right now."

The figure- a man, or male anyway, Kyp thought- began to turn, and Kyp released his arms but kept the lightsaber well within a dangerous proximity. Once he was fully facing front, he raised his hooded head and met Kyp's eyes evenly… and he bit back a cry and took a step back in shock, reflexively disengaging the lightsaber blade.

The man opposite him took advantage of this distraction and hauled off and punched him clean in the jaw. Kyp stumbled and fell, but made no move to get off the floor as he rubbed his jaw tenderly, watching in horror as the man flexed his knuckles before lowering the hood of his cloak.

"We aren't even close to even yet, Kyp," he muttered bitterly before extending a hand.

Mouth working silently, no sound able to come forth, he took the hand and was pulled to his feet…

…by Jagged Fel.

**A/N:** Well there ya go, _**Future ADA**_- what you've been waiting for ;-P


	20. Part 19

**Chapter XIX**

"How…? What…?"

"Our paths have always been interestingly intertwined," Jag ignored his stammering queries and quickly released the older man's hand, retreating to a safe distance from which to stare narrow-eyed at Kyp. "But this beats all, Durron."

"Wait… Jag…"

He held up a hand for silence, and Kyp immediately complied, snapping his mouth shut with an audible clack.

"Once we realized what had happened," Jag explained smoothly, "that the Ruling Families, parliament, the _Jedi_ had been informed of our 'deaths'… well, I sort of began to suspect that, if we didn't escape, as time went on, you and Jaina might reconnect, that you would be the logical person in whom she would find comfort after she grieved for, oh… a reasonable period…" Kyp closed his eyes and opened his mouth, but Jag cut him off. "But _this_," he hissed. "You couldn't be satisfied with that, could you?" he demanded. "You had to take everything…"

"Jag, please… let me explain."

"Explain?" he choked. "Explain? My _wife_… is pregnant… about seven, eight months along, I'd guess?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I've been gone for _ten_, Kyp, believed dead for _nine_… which means that you really just couldn't wait to draw her back in with you, could you?" His eyes were red. "Do you have _any_ idea how long Jaina and I tried to have another child, Kyp?"

"Yes," he jumped in. "And if you'll just calm down a moment-"

A comlink beeped and Jag growled, tearing it off of his belt and snarling into it. "_What_?"

"_It's Jaina. Something's wrong."_

Jag's face went white. "What?" the ire left his voice and was replaced by poorly-veiled panic. "What's the matter?"

"_I don't know; I've sent Leyla to fetch Master Skywalker. She just kept saying that she couldn't sense Kyp anymore, and then she collapsed…" _Kyp winced as pain flashed over Jag's face as those words… and then the import of them caught up with him.

He tore the comlink from Jag's hand and started for the door. "Zekk, it's Kyp; don't wait for Luke, take her to Tekli down in the med center immediately. It _has _to be Tekli, do you hear me?"

"_Yes_," Zekk replied faintly. "_What should I tell her_?" He passed out of the Force-void bubble created by the ysalamiri left beside the cabin, and instantly reached out, desperately searching… "_Kyp_?"

He found the faint pocket of Jaina's wavering Force-awareness and he latched on to it, searching deeper, trying to push past layers of defenses… and he was repelled at every turn. Cursing softly, he broke out into a jog, Jag beside him, and raised the comlink to his mouth. "You tell her I've lost the connection; and tell her six weeks."

"_I… don't understand…"_

"You don't have to understand!" Kyp snarled. "Just get her there and tell Tekli."

There was no response, so he assumed that Zekk was transporting her. "What's wrong with her?" Jag demanded, not even out of breath as they ran full out across the clearing. "What did you do?"

"_I _didn't do anything," Kyp gasped. "What the _hell_ were you thinking, bringing an ysalamiri here…?"

"Have you ever tried sneaking around a bunch of Jedi? We needed to go unnoticed, though I guess that's shot," he bit. "And I didn't much fancy you killing me the moment I showed up…"

They skidded to a halt as they approached the entrance to the temple. "Normal people comm ahead." He turned sharply and hurried along a side corridor to a turbolift.

"Normal people haven't been believed dead for almost a year; normal people aren't trying to bypass the awareness of Luke Skywalker; normal people aren't expecting a confrontation with their pregnant wife's _lover_."

Kyp groaned inwardly as they received a couple of scandalous looks from random passerby, sparing precious bits of concentration in order to nudge them to ignore the two arguing men. "In here," he bit, leading them into a turbolift and depressing a button for one of the lower levels dug into the rock bed. Once the doors were closed, he whirled on Jag. "There is so much you don't understand right now, Jag, and I don't have time to explain it to you in a way that you'll even believe what I'm saying." As though to make his point for him, the doors opened onto the med center level, and two students stood politely waiting to enter the lift car. "But if you so much as point an accusing finger at Jaina, you _will_ shatter her completely, so I suggest you be civil or you get out."

Jag nodded curtly but Kyp didn't even see as he darted down a side corridor and veered into the room where he sensed Jaina's muted presence. Luke was there too, and Kyp hurried to his side where he stood by the bed and reached out a hand and pressed it to Jaina's pale cheek and another to touch the swelling of her belly through her robe.

"What happened?" Luke murmured quietly, focusing his own awareness on Jaina, trying to get a sense of the problem.

"We made a _major_ miscalculation," Kyp muttered distractedly.

"What?" Luke opened his eyes, alarmed. "No, the timing was worked out by Cilghal…"

"Not timing," Kyp said grimly. "We sort of failed to make an allowance for the possibility that the baby's father _wasn't really dead_." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and Luke spun in shock to see a wide-eyed and pale Jag Fel staring blankly at his comatose wife's pallid face. "Didn't Zekk tell you?"

"I sent him away," Tekli murmured as she perched on a high stool and studied monitors. "I believe your daughter is with him in a private waiting room down the hall."

Luke jerked his head in a shaky confirmation of her words, still staring, stricken, at Jag.

"Shavit," Kyp growled, drawing everyone's attention. "I can't get through. Her shields are too strong, she's blocking me out… we need to wake her up." He half-turned towards Jag. "Jag, you need to leave."

"Like _hell_ I'm going anywhere, Kyp…"

"In her current state, the shock could make her miscarry, Jag," Luke murmured softly. "Please, go down the hall, third door on your right; Leyla is there, she'll explain everything."

Nodding mutely, Jag turned heel and walked stiffly from the room, vaguely registering the concerned exchanges happening as he left. Barely cognizant of what was happening, he stopped at the third door and tapped softly. It slid open moments later, and Zekk looked up from where he had an arm around a red-eyed Leyla, who stiffened in surprise and stared.

"See?" Zekk murmured softly. "I told you I had a surprise that would make you feel better…"

"Dad?" she asked, voice trembling as she wiped at a wet cheek. Jag felt a true smile cross his face for the first time in months as Leyla got shakily to her feet. He absently slapped the control to close the door again behind him, and moments later Leyla was clinging to him and crying. "Dad," she gasped. "You're here… it's really you…"

"I'm here, sweetheart," he murmured, holding her close for a long moment while Zekk looked on unobtrusively with a light smile playing across his features. "I'm so sorry, Leyla, I'm sorry."

Words were impossible for a long minute while she clung to him, but eventually she pulled back slightly and met his pale green eyes with soft brown ones, rimmed red from crying and nearly breaking his heart. "Why?" she asked brokenly. "Why did they say you were dead?"

"A lot of reasons, honey," he murmured, still taking in her appearance, slightly amazed at the changes wrought in almost a year. "Don't worry about that now, I'm here, I'm okay… your grandfather is alright too, he's going to help reveal the whole thing so the Chiss can arrest the conspirators…"

"But you'll stay here, right?" she sniffed. His guilt must have shown in his eyes, because she took a step back and looked confused and accusing. "Dad… you can't leave again! Mom needs you. What… what if you don't make it back in time to see the baby be born?"

He closed his eyes and fought the bitter pain he felt at her words. "Kyp will be here for her," he answered softly. Leyla opened her mouth, a mildly outraged expression crossing her face, but Jag pressed on. "Sweetheart, what's wrong with her? Do you know?"

She shook her head, eyes welling up again. "Uncle Luke made me come here to wait with Zekk."

Jag's eyes rose over her head to look at the all-but-forgotten young Jedi. "I think," Zekk murmured hesitantly, "that something happened with the ysalamiri…"

"Jaina was nowhere near it," Jag insisted angrily.

"Why do you have ysalamiri?" Leyla asked, wide-eyed.

Jag flushed guiltily. "We wanted to be able to slip in and out quietly, honey, I'm sorry. I just needed to see your mom first."

Leyla frowned. "Then why didn't you come with Zekk to see her?"

"I needed to talk with Kyp beforehand," Jag met her eyes evenly, almost daring her to argue, to not understand that he was trying to say. "And I wasn't sure how he'd react to my sudden reappearance."

She blinked once, brow furrowed in confusion. Then her expression cleared and her eyes widened. "They… they didn't tell you!" she exclaimed. "Dad, Kyp is just protecting the baby, he isn't… him and mom aren't…"

Jag smiled sadly at her. "Be that as it may- or not- your mom _is_ pregnant," he said wryly.

"But the baby isn't Kyp's!"

He stared and saw Zekk start in surprise out of the corner of his eye. "I… see…" he frowned. "Then… Leyla, whose is it, might I ask?"

"Dad, you're being ridiculous, it's _your_ baby."

"Sweetheart, you _know_ that can't be true. Now why don't you calm down and start from the beginning…?"

She huffed in frustration and crossed her arms, staring pointedly at Jag. "Uncle Luke made sure that everyone knew that I'm Kyp's daughter, because he was worried that, if any of the Chiss didn't think so, they might come after me like they went after you and your father."

"That was very smart thinking," Jag said slowly, but not understanding the connection.

"And then _after_ that, he found out that mom was pregnant, and he knew that… if someone _did_ want to completely eliminate your family line," her lip trembled, "that they'd go after mom and the baby."

Jag just continued staring at her, uncomprehending. "Leyla, it's been too long, it's impossible…"

"Kyp's been using the Force to slow things down, hasn't he?" Zekk asked, emerald eyes going wide. "Jaina couldn't sense him anymore… and when Kyp said he lost the connection…

She nodded gravely. "Uncle Luke and Cilghal found an idea about making it take longer, so that the baby would be born in a year instead of nine months, and Cilghal tried to teach mom how to do it, but she couldn't. It hurt her too much," she sniffed. "So Kyp's been doing it instead, which is why they're living together and…" she flushed slightly. "Mom knew that everyone would assume that Kyp was the baby's father. I guess she was right," she finished quietly.

Jag put a horrified hand to his mouth. "What… what did I do?" he whispered.

"You couldn't have known," Zekk murmured, trying to reassure him.

"The ysalamiri," Jag muttered, "it broke that connection… and with Tekli just now, Kyp said he couldn't reestablish it…" he turned abruptly and reached for the control panel of the door and pressed it… and nothing happened.

He whirled around and saw a confused Zekk… and then he looked at Leyla, who looked flushed and guilty, but defiant. "You can't go to her yet, dad," she said softly. "Uncle Luke wants you to stay here." She saw his confused look and tapped the side of her head with two fingers. "I _have _been learning," she said wryly.

X-X-X-X

"_You should go, Jag," she muttered, knowing that the façade wouldn't hold for long. _

_He shrugged innocently. "That would be dereliction of duty."_

_She stared. "Excuse me?"_

"_This is now my duty station."_

_Her mouth worked silently for a minute while she seethed. "How did _that_ happen? What about the rest of Twin Suns Squadron?"_

"_They have remained under General Antilles' command, and Lowbacca and Tesar have assumed roles as co-squadron leaders." She continued just staring at him blankly, annoyance and frustration getting the better of her and showing on her face. "Jaina," he leaned close to her, "now that you know I'm not about to high-tail it out of here… do you want to do this somewhere else?" _

_Nodding jerkily, she turned heel and led the way back to her private cabin._

X-X-X-X

"Jaina," Kyp brushed his hand against her cheek softly. "Come on, wake up. I need you to let me back in, I need to make sure your baby is going to be alright…" She stirred and her lips parted slightly, but she said nothing, didn't open her eyes. "Tekli?" Kyp asked tersely.

The diminutive healer pursed her lips. "I can't give her any more, Master Durron. The stimulant could hurt the baby."

"And if you don't wake her up, the baby could die. Which will it be?"

Luke touched a hand to his shoulder. "Kyp…"

"She's got shields stronger than a Star Destroyer's around that child!" Kyp insisted. "You can give her a little more."

Tekli sighed in resignation and fetched a small injection vial, checking the dosage carefully before pressing it to Jaina's upper arm. That earned a little more response, and Kyp leaned forward and spoke quietly to her. "Jaina," he murmured, "come on. You're stronger than this…"

"I'm tired of being strong," she whispered, eyes still closed.

He gripped her hand tightly. "Then you don't have to be much longer, but you have to let me back in, Jaina, I can't feel the baby anymore…"

"I can't… feel it either…"

"That's fine, you don't have to," he urged. "But you need to lower your defenses around it, and I know that it'll hurt you, but just for a moment, just long enough to let me back in." She shook her head and opened her eyes, looking vulnerable and hurt. "Jaina, our connection was severed, and your body is fighting the pregnancy without me telling it not to. It doesn't understand how you can still be carrying a child, for ten months…"

"It's only been seven…"

Kyp pressed a hand to his forehead and looked wildly around at Luke, who looked lost and guilty- probably for suggesting this idea in the first place, but how could he and Cilghal have known, foreseen about the ysalamiri…?

"Jaina, stop and think; you remember what we're doing here, why I've been connected to you all this time? To protect you, to protect your baby… _Jag's_ baby…" She just continued shaking her head back and forth, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Jaina, if you'll just calm down and relax, let me back in, I promise, everything _will_ be okay."

"You can't promise." She curled on her side, away from him, and he bit back a curse.

"Jaina, your baby will die!"

His words went unheeded, and a great despair wrenched at his heart. "Master Durron," Tekli spoke quietly, seriously, "in your honest opinion… if we were to deliver the baby today- _now _- could it survive?"

"It… it's too early," he muttered.

"You said six weeks," she reminded him. "That isn't unheard of, women with multiple fetuses often give birth as much as two months early with few problems."

"I don't know…"

"You're the only one who can know," Luke pointed out softly. "You've been controlling the development, Kyp- _could_ the baby survive, outside the womb?"

Kyp eyed Jaina sadly and closed his eyes, trying desperately, one last time, to reach the little life. "He," he choked out. "It's a boy. And yes, he could make it- but I'm not sure that _she_ could."

Tekli shook her head. "She'd never be able to deliver like this," she acknowledged. "I don't even want to try. We're… going to have to operate."

Part of him had known that already, he supposed, but it still wrenched at something inside of him. The idea of tearing the baby from her body like that… "Do what you have to," he said in stilted tones, releasing Jaina's limp hand and turning for the door.

"Kyp, where are you going?"

"To be with my daughter," he muttered, not turning. "And to tell Jag that, if he's lucky, he could be having a son today.

"And if he's not, he could lose both his child and his wife."


	21. Part 20

**Part XX**

He had his arm comfortingly around Leyla's shoulders as he spoke quietly to her, though she had to feel that his own anxiety was jumping off the charts, even as he adopted a reassuring tone. Nevertheless, she leaned against him, snuggling up to him in a way she hadn't done in years.

"Will the Chiss be able to find you here?" she asked softly.

He glanced down at the top of her head and sighed. "We aren't sure who actually knew that we were alive all this time, sweetheart. The guards who kept watch over us were killed when they tried to stop Zekk and Tahlia from getting to us, and the syndic who planned the whole thing- we were imprisoned in a secret holding area beneath his estate- he fled before we could get to him. He knows that he can never go back, once the government hears the truth."

"So everyone else still thinks you're dead?"

He shrugged. "Maybe; they won't for long though, and even some of those who _do_ probably think we're dead helped Syndic Csun'abr'inrokini track my father's ship and assisted in what they thought was an assassination."

Her brow furrowed. "Why though? Why pretend to kill you and your father, go through the effort of making it look like an accident, and then keep you alive all this time?"

Jag chuckled slightly at that. "In all honesty, Leyla, I think Syndic Nabrin was a bit of a coward, and… he probably thought that it afforded him a bit of leverage."

"In case the Jedi came looking for you?" she nodded towards Zekk, who was exhausted and leaning heavily back in his chair with his eyes closed.

"More likely as potential blackmail against the other people involved in the conspiracy."

She seemed to mull that over for a minute before stiffening slightly and sitting up. "Kyp's coming," she murmured. "He's… upset."

Something in his throat tightened. "And your mother?"

Leyla fidgeted uncomfortably. "I… can't really sense mom anymore. She sort of… withdrew from the Force, a long time ago. She didn't want the baby to feel how sad she was all the time."

Before the guilt that he felt could express itself in words, the door slid open and Kyp stepped wearily into the room. Zekk sat more upright and opened his eyes, just as concerned about Jaina's wellbeing as everyone else in the room. Kyp's eyes never left Jag's though, and Jag fought from flinching away from the accusatory glare. "Will she be okay?" he asked quietly, trying to ease the dread he felt out of his tone.

"I don't know."

His stomach twisted up in even more knots. "Can I go to her? Did you tell her…?" he trailed away at the bitterness in Kyp's eyes.

"They're prepping her for surgery," Kyp muttered.

He opened his mouth, confused… and froze. "_Surgery_," he demanded. "Wha-? Why?"

Kyp's hands clenched in to fists. "You don't get it, do you?" he asked lowly, dangerously. "Months of careful planning, stress, constant awareness… all destroyed in an instant. She can't handle it. Tekli has to get the baby now, before her body- her _mind-_ fights any harder."

Jag paled, Zekk sighed sadly, and Leyla sat frozen on the couch, eyes wide. "Kyp," Jag pleaded. "I'm sorry… I didn't know-"

"That it was your child!"

He was on his feet in an instant. "You son of a- how _dare_ you? You think I would _ever_ do anything to intentionally harm Jaina, regardless of what I thought when I got here?"

"When your way of greeting _me_ is to punch me in the face, how am I supposed to know?" Kyp contested hotly.

"Excuse me for taking your little illusion here at face value!"

"Excuse _me_ for trying to protect _your_ wife and son from the crazy aliens you grew up with!"

"Stop it!" They both turned, eyes flashing, to see Leyla, face red and livid, staring the two of them down. "Look at you two!" she exclaimed. "You're in here, blaming each other for something that's not the fault of _either_ of you, and you're _arguing_ over things that you _know_ aren't true, and you're _happy_ aren't true! Dad, mom and Kyp aren't seeing each other; Kyp, dad isn't really dead. Can't we all agree that those are _good _things?"

The two men carried almost identical expressions of stubborn frustration, but they nodded and looked cowed as they were lectured by a twelve-year-old.

"_Meanwhile_," said twelve-year-old continued, "mom's sick and about to have a baby, and rather than be there for her, you're trying to take out your frustration on each other. Kyp, you _know_ that dad didn't mean to hurt mom, so stop acting like he did something bad. And dad, _you_ know that mom and Kyp aren't- and haven't been- together while you were gone, so stop acting like you have something to be jealous about!"

Jag cocked his head to the side as he regarded her. "Leyla, sweetheart… when did you get to be so smart?"

A ghost of a smile crossed her features, and she glanced at Kyp. "I had a lot of growing up to do while you've been gone- and a lot of practice at saying stupid things when I was upset."

Kyp smiled lightly at her, remembering their conversation the morning after she had arrived on Coruscant with Mara and Ben, so many months ago now… and then his expression hardened slightly, and he turned back to Jag. "Issue of ysalamiri aside… why do I get the feeling from you that you've already got one foot out the door?" Jag flushed. "Jag… if you leave again, it will break her, I can promise you that."

It was Zekk who responded though. "Jag… they don't need your help, your father and Ashik will understand, they're the ones who told you _not_ to go back." There was the slightest bit of conflict in Jag's features, but Zekk stood and clasped his arm, peering seriously into his eyes. "I'll go comm Tahlia," he spoke quietly, "and tell her that something came up."

"Thank you," he murmured, a weight lifted from his shoulders.

As Zekk opened the door, he came face-to-face with a somber Luke. The two men regarded each other for a moment before, sensing the purpose in Zekk's actions, Luke waved him on and came into the room to regard the remaining two men and Leyla seriously. "Are we all… clear on the truth?" Jag nodded, swallowing thickly as he noted the somberness in Luke's eyes.

"I think Leyla gave us a pretty good reminder of what's important," Kyp agreed quietly.

The Jedi Master glanced at his great-niece before returning his attention to the unexpected arrival. "Jag, they're almost ready to begin the procedure- if you go down the hall, there's a washroom, one of the assistants will get you properly cleaned up so you can go be with Jaina." Jag blinked and shot a glance at Kyp. "She's unconscious again," Luke murmured softly, "and Kyp has done all he can; she doesn't want his help. Your presence might help where his couldn't."

He blinked back guilt-driven tears and nodded once more.

"Kyp," Luke turned to face the other man. "Tekli was hoping that you would make yourself available for a preliminary analysis of the condition of the baby, once they've… retrieved him," he winced slightly at the deceptively innocuous words. "Once you're able to sense him again, you'll probably still be best poised to be alert to any underlying problems that the first physical examinations won't pick up on."

"Of course," Kyp muttered, starting slightly as Leyla slid her hand into his and squeezed reassuringly.

Luke motioned them out the door. "Go get ready then; you don't want to hold them up any longer." When they were gone, he turned to Leyla and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Leyla… but I have to ask you to stay here for a while longer." She looked grumpily resigned. "Mara and Ben are heading down now, you can fill them in on what's going on, okay?"

Nodding glumly, she sat down and drew her legs up close, wrapping her arms around her body protectively, with nothing to do but wait.

X-X-X-X

"Dad's being awfully funny about whatever's wrong…"

Mara glanced down at her son as they stepped out of the turbolift. "What do you mean?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Can't you feel it? His emotions are going every which way-"

"His niece _is_ about to undergo a serious operation," she pointed out wryly, feeling her own nervousness bubbling up inside of her.

"But beneath all the worry he's… happy. Or relieved. Or both."

She frowned and reached out, moving her focus from her former apprentice's turmoil-ridden mind towards her husband… and found that there was some truth in what Ben was saying. It was a tentative relief, heavily outweighed by his concern for Jaina's condition… but there. "Yes," she murmured, "something's happened. Something tied to all of this…"

At that moment, as they walked down the corridor, another door opened further down. One of the young assistants stepped out first, followed by Kyp, who was followed by…

"_Sithspawn_," Ben murmured- and for once, Mara didn't bother to reprimand him for his language. They went unnoticed as the three crossed the hall and disappeared through another door, a heavy atmosphere hanging about them- understandably. "Well that's… unexpected."

"Yes," she agreed slowly. "Come on," they started walking once more. "Let's find Leyla."

X-X-X-X

They worked quickly and nearly quietly, but the near-silence only served to put Jag further on edge as he sat on the other side of the screen, clasping one of Jaina's hands in his, ghosting his fingers across her pale face, willing the guilty desperation inside him to disperse, knowing that it would do neither of them any good right now.

"I'm sorry, darling," he murmured as he brushed brown locks of hair from her face. "I'm so sorry. But you'll be okay- you have to…"

It was a strange sort of irony, he thought bitterly- in the past week, he had gone from intense relief and anticipation at the prospect of seeing Jaina, seeing her face when she saw him alive and well, holding her in his arms… and then confusion as they established contact with his mother and she'd warned him about what Wedge had reported from his prior trip to Ossus… and then frustration, anger, _jealousy_…

And for what? To now be sitting beside his unconscious wife who had been too fragile for them to even risk telling her that he was alive… while they worked to deliver a baby that should have been born a month ago, but was still almost two months premature developmentally… a baby that they had wanted for years and had all but given up hope of having…

As the single tear slipped from the corner of his eye, the atmosphere in the room shifted, and Jag held his breath, focusing in on the steady rise and fall of Jaina's chest to reassure himself that she was still okay…

A soft and frighteningly weak cry split the air, and the collective tension faded a little. Out of the corner of his eye, Jag saw Kyp get up from his chair where he'd been sitting in utter stillness, eyes closed, for a quarter hour. He resisted the urge to get up and see the child- _his_ child- knowing that there was nothing he could contribute at the moment. The baby was Kyp's charge, and he would give the Jedi Master his space.

Instead, he continued lightly brushing his hand against his wife's cheek, murmuring under his breath. "I know it's not how you envisioned almost five years ago now," he whispered. "But we have a son, Jaina, and Leyla has a little brother…"

"Jag." His head shot up and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Kyp with the baby held gingerly in his arms, swathed in a small, white blanket. "Jag, they want to go ahead and start a bacta treatment regimen for him, they're prepping it now… do you want to hold him for a minute first?"

Jag stood shakily and peered down at the slightly red face of the tiny baby. "No," he said faintly, and he sensed Kyp's surprise even without any Force-sensitivity. "No, go ahead and take care of him, I don't want to…" he sat again and drew a shuddering breath. "I don't want to do any more damage here than I've already done."

"You won't-"

"Just take care of him, Kyp, please?"

Hesitating only a moment, Kyp withdrew and left Jag, breathing heavily and raggedly, staring at Jaina's deceptively peaceful form, trying desperately to avoid thinking about what would happen if she or the baby didn't recover.

X-X-X-X

"I know it may feel otherwise," Jag stiffened at the sound of the soft voice, breaking the somber silence, "but it really wasn't your fault."

He didn't turn, just continued sitting, hunched over with his elbows on his knees, head in hands, staring blankly at the tiny, sleeping baby. "Sure looks that way from my side of things."

"Your side of things has been sitting in a Chiss detention cell for nine months," Kyp murmured, sitting hesitantly in the chair beside him. "It doesn't really have an impartial view of things. I think… I think it was always going to be like this, in some way. No," he sighed at Jag's incredulous look, "I don't mean the ysalamiri… but Jaina was never going to be able to handle having the baby. I let her withdraw too much, get too dependent on me, on my presence to keep her strong… and just sort of hoped that one day, she'd snap out of it."

Jag leaned heavily back in his chair and sighed. "I was a fool," he murmured. "From the start. _Everyone_ said I shouldn't return to Csilla… or maybe I should have taken Jaina with me from the beginning…"

"Then she would have been captured too," Kyp pointed out quietly. "Or worse, they would have killed you all with the belief that they wouldn't be able to hold a Jedi captive." He paused. "And, even with everything else… I know you wouldn't ever want to put Leyla through that."

The younger man sighed again in weary acknowledgement. "She's in bed?"

"Yeah, I took her up just now to try to get some sleep."

"How has she been?"

Kyp hesitated momentarily. "After the initial shock… not bad. She's been very understanding of everything Jaina's gone through, everything we've been doing here…"

Jag closed his eyes and rubbed at them exhaustedly. "I don't suppose, in light of everything else, she happened to mention the last conversation I had with her before I disappeared…?"

A slight smirk crossed the Jedi Master's features. "When she arrived on Coruscant, she hit me and yelled at me, and accused me of letting you die because I was jealous of you and was still in love with Jaina. So yeah, she mentioned it." Despite his teasing tone, Jag winced. "Don't worry about it," Kyp assured him. "We talked about it, she's fine and… Jaina and I should have told her a long time ago anyway."

They sat quietly for a long time. Kyp could sense the turmoil, confusion, guilt running through Jag's mind, but he let the young man work through it and bring it up on his own. "I replayed that conversation so many times during the jump here," he finally muttered. "Wondering if I'd been wrong in all of my reassurances to Leyla, if you _were_ still…" he went a little pink. "I convinced myself that you must have done something, taken advantage of her in some way…"

Uneasy memories of an almost-forgotten night drifted into Kyp's mind, but he pushed them away. "Despite what I said earlier," he spoke softly, "I _do_ know that you'd never hurt her. Why else would you have sent Zekk to run interference while you came to duke it out with me?" he teased, and actually drew a rueful smile from Jag, who glanced once at the darkened bruise on Kyp's jaw. "I think it makes me look roguish," Kyp assured him. "And you probably owed me one from a long time ago anyway. Probably owed me a lot _more_ than one."

Jag's brows rose slightly before they furrowed and he looked back towards the baby, still dozing and attached to numerous monitors and sensors. "I do owe you a lot," he murmured. "And not in terms of punches to the face."

"Let's just say we're even then." Jag didn't respond. "Look, Jag… no offense, but you need to get over it." _That _drew a response; Jag snapped his head up and looked at Kyp in slightly angered confusion. "The baby is fine, Jaina is going to be fine… and she's going to wake up tomorrow, confused and in pain, but you know what? None of that is going to matter to her when she sees you. Don't lessen that reunion by spending it wallowing in guilt; you can tell her what happened later, but not when she first wakes."

Part of Jag- the guilty part, Kyp supposed- still looked annoyed, but after a moment, he slumped and relaxed visibly. "You're right," he sighed. "Shavit, I _hate_ that… but you're right."

Kyp grinned and gestured over his shoulder towards the door. "She should be out of the bacta by now…" Jag nodded and stood slowly, muscles stiff. He shot a questioning look at Kyp though, who hadn't moved. "I'll stay here," the Jedi Master murmured, peering at the infant, "and keep an eye on the little guy."

Jag had a hand on the door release before something occurred to him and he stopped and half-turned. "Kyp? What were you going to do after the baby was born?"

He smiled wistfully as he reached out and touched the little hand which flexed reflexively.

"Whatever it took."


	22. Part 21

**A/N: **_**Future ADA- **_What, you think Jag and Kyp are just going to name the baby while Jaina's still unconscious? :P

**Part XXI**

_They walked in utter silence, only the sound of boots on the metal deck breaking the monotony of the hum of the operating Star Destroyer around them. When they reached her quarters, she stiffly motioned him through first and then stepped through herself, turning to close the door behind them. When it was closed, she turned, opened her mouth to snap at him…_

_And found herself seized and pulled into a fierce hug. She stiffened, and part of her wanted to struggle against him, but… a small but strong part of her enjoyed the feeling again, and she sighed, waiting for him to release her so she could _then_ yell at him. _

"_I'm sorry, Jaina," he mumbled against her hair, "Your uncle told me everything, but you can't do this by yourself, you can't-"_

_She pushed him away and stared at him, eyes wide. "What do you mean, 'everything'?" she demanded. He frowned, but began to look a little hesitant. _

"_He told me what happened; what Durron did."_

_Looking away quickly, blinking back infuriating tears that would only make her feel foolish if they spilled over, she seethed silently towards her uncle. After all of that, that he would have the gall to tell her secrets- the _one_ secret she needed kept above all others- to Jag… and then she remembered her exact words:_

"You can tell him everything when I'm gone, but it's for the best if we make a clean split of things now."

_Shavit. _

_She sighed, anger melting away somewhat as she realized that her uncle had only done… well, exactly what she'd _said_ he could do- though she expected that he damn well knew what she'd really meant. "Look… Jag…"_

"_You don't have to say anything," he hurriedly assured her. "And I… understand why you left. But I'm not giving you up that easily."_

_She laughed humorlessly. "You said he told you _everything_, right? He told you that I'm _pregnant_, Jag?" _

"_Yes," he said simply, slowly approaching her again. "And?"_

"_And…" she trailed away, scowling, staring at the floor. And what? "And… and it isn't your baby, Jag!"_

"_So?" That same, damned, simple and innocently cavalier tone. _

"So_," she bit, "this isn't your responsibility."_

_He looked at her, surprise etched on his features, green eyes startled. And then, most infuriatingly of all, a slow and wide smile spread across his face, and he pulled her against him once more. "Oh, Jaina," he sighed. "You think _that_'s why I'm here? Because I feel like I _should_ be? Jaina," he pulled away and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes, "I'm here because I _want_ to be here; because I want to be with you; because I _love_ you." _

_He kissed her. _

X-X-X-X

The smallest beacon of warmth came from deep inside her heart, and she clung to it, willing it to dispel the cold, the sorrow, the emptiness… the pain.

And it did hurt. She ached, all over, and returning to unconsciousness didn't sound like a bad plan, truth be told. But that damned warm touch, familiar but not, was still there, making her pause, reconsider. There'd been so little warmth lately, and she vaguely wondered why that was… and then she sensed someone approaching, and she tensed.

It took a moment longer to register that she hadn't felt much of _anything_ in the Force lately, and the return of sensation made her panic slightly… but a reassuring brush touched her mind, and she tried to relax as she felt for that place deep inside, that invisible force-field surrounding something so fragile…

But there was nothing. No shield, no barrier protecting an innocent and vulnerable life…

No life at all…

With tremendous effort, she forced her eyes open at the same moment that a hand took hers. "Jaina," a familiar voice whispered, "it's okay now; wake up." Kyp's face hovered before her, his eyes were warm and he smiled encouragingly. "You're alright now…"

She felt her lip trembling and she bit it. "What happened?" she whispered, attempting to move to sit up… he pressed a hand to her shoulder and she relaxed back again. "I hurt…"

"I know," he murmured, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead. "But everything is going to be okay."

"The baby?"

Something flickered in his eyes. "You have a son, Jaina. He was early, Tekli has been giving him some bacta treatments for his lungs, but… he'll be okay. He's a little fighter."

Her eyes watered. "What aren't you telling me, Kyp? You're hiding something."

His smile only broadened, infuriating her for no real reason. "Do you want to see him, Jaina?"

Hesitating a moment, eyeing Kyp suspiciously, she nodded jerkily. He turned slowly and disappeared from her sightline for a moment. She closed her eyes again, and brought a weary hand up to wipe away the moisture accumulating there. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she reached out ever so tentatively and felt new presences approaching, and the warm feeling amplified… she froze.

"Jaina." She stiffened even more. "Sweetheart, open your eyes." She shook her head adamantly, and the familiar but impossible voice chuckled lowly. "Why not?"

"Because it won't be you and it'll break me all over again."

A soft hand brushed her face and she let out a dry sob. "It's me, darling. I'm so sorry, for everything, but I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere…"

Soft lips pressed against her forehead, then her cheek, then her mouth. She opened her eyes slowly, terrified, and found pale green ones looking warmly back into hers. "Hey," he whispered. She let out a gasping breath and reached up to grasp the hand that still rested against her cheek, gripping tightly and blinking quickly through tears. "I'm here, Jaina, I'm here…"

"How?" she cried softly.

He kissed her again before answering. "They lied to you, sweetheart, they lied. It doesn't matter now though, because I'm here and I'm not leaving you, ever again, and they will never come after you, they'll never hurt you, or Leyla, or our son…"

Our son…

She blinked and glanced past Jag to where Kyp stood with a hand on Leyla's shoulder… and gently cradled in the girl's arms was a small white bundle. With a gentle prod from Kyp, she walked slowly forward, grinning from ear to ear. Jag straightened and reached out to take the baby from her, and he turned back to Jaina, smiling softly.

"Do you want to hold him?" She nodded, wide-eyed, and he lowered the small bundle of blankets down into the crook of her arm by her side. Turning as much as was comfortable, she shakily brought her other hand over and touched the small face gingerly.

"He's so tiny," her voice quavered.

"He'll be okay," Kyp broke in softly.

"He's so… _pink_," she crinkled her nose.

Jag laughed, and the sound warmed her heart. "It's just the effect of the bacta."

For a long time, she studied the little face until the infant finally opened his eyes and blinked sleepily up at her. Something tightened in her stomach, made her heart flutter, and her words came out as barely more than a whisper. "He's perfect."

"Yes," Jag came around to the other side of the bed and sat gently beside her, unable to draw her into his arms as he wanted, but there, beside her, his hand resting against her waist, looking over her shoulder as she twisted slightly to the side and tenderly regarded the waking baby. "He is."

X-X-X-X

"_It's a girl, sweetheart." A brief pause… "She… she's beautiful."_

_Her voice was little more than a tired mumble. "Nothing that's less than a minute old is beautiful."_

"_Well give them a couple of minutes to check her out and clean her up, and then you can see for yourself."_

"_Won't count anymore, she'll be more than a minute old…"_

_Jag laughed softly and returned to the bedside, leaning over to kiss her sweaty face, pink from exertion and exhaustion. Her eyes closed at his touch, and she blindly felt for his hand, squeezing it gently. "Are you alright?" he murmured, reaching out to sweep damp hair from her forehead. She merely nodded, too tired to do much but rest her eyes and try not to think too hard. _

_Before long, one of the medical droids- acquired for them by Syal, specifically designed for midwifery, and with an easily-wiped memory, for when this was all said and done- swept back over to them with a bundle of blankets carefully cradled in two of its four arms- a bundle that was crying rather insistently. _

"_You have a healthy daughter, Miss Solo," the droid informed her. "Despite being born twenty days early, she is a healthy weight- two point eight kilos." Jag accepted the baby from the droid with an awe in his eyes that made Jaina smile softly… though her brows contracted a bit nervously when Jag made to hand the child to her. _

"_She won't bite," Jag whispered, before pausing. "Well… I guess she _might_… but she doesn't have any teeth, so…"_

"_Oh, just let me hold her!"_

_Grinning, he carefully laid the tiny, crying baby in Jaina's cradled arm and watched as her entire face went from trepidation to a softened tenderness while she looked for the first time upon her daughter. "Hi there, little one," she murmured. The baby stopped crying mostly, and Jag couldn't tell if Jaina was doing something to soothe her through the Force, or if she just liked being in her mother's arms. "You _are_ a pretty little thing, aren't you?"_

"_Yes, she is," Jag agreed. "Just like her mother." Even after everything, the stress of the past several months, the stress of the past several _hours_… he still managed to coax a little blush out of her. "Did you decide on a name?"_

"_Leyla," Jaina whispered instantly. _

_He tried to place it. "Is that Corellian?"_

"_Selonian," she nodded, and then hesitated. "It means… dark beauty. And… for a daughter of war, a daughter of…" she trailed away, didn't finish the thought, _couldn't_ finish it. Because at that moment, soft little eyes, newborn-blue, blinked blearily up at her, and the tender innocence reflected in them was almost too much for her to handle, after everything she'd felt through the long months of her pregnancy… anger, fear, frustration… to have something so pure…_

"_Oh, Kyp," she cried softly, hugging the baby to her and letting her tears fall freely down her cheeks._

_Jag squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, and leaned over to kiss her cheek, understanding at least in part what was going through her mind at that moment. "Shh," he murmured, "it's all going to be alright. I promise."_

"_You can't promise."_

_He smiled down at her. "Why don't you get some rest, sweetheart. I'll keep an eye on our little girl."_

_Her eyes started to drift closed even as he was lifting Leyla from her arms… and then they opened again and sought his carefully. "_Our_ little girl?" she repeated. _

"_Yes," he studied the little face, watched as she yawned and her little fingers moved randomly. "I can tell already- Leyla is going to have me wrapped around her little finger before we know it."_

X-X-X-X

Later that day, after both Jaina and the still-nameless baby had rested some more after the stressful happenings of the day prior, Jag quietly entered the room, infant in his arms, and brought him to the bed where Tekli had finally given Jaina permission to sit semi-upright- after a couple of hours in bacta, anyway.

"Dinner time," he murmured. Grinning, he flashed a little bottle from his pocket as he lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. "Do you want the honors?"

Her incredulous look made him laugh, and he carefully passed their son between them. The boy let out a soft cry as he changed hands, and Jag squeezed his tiny hand gently as he let him go. "It's astounding, the things that can be done with the Force…" he murmured, eyeing the little thing. "Ten months…"

Her gut clenched as she carefully maneuvered the baby into proper position. With stiff movements, she took the bottle from Jag and watched in ever-present fascination as the little mouth latched on and sucked greedily, remembering what it had been like twelve years prior when Leyla was an infant…

"What you must have thought…" she murmured. "I'm sorry, Jag."

He draped a gentle arm around her shoulders. "Sweetheart, please… don't even think about that." He paused and swallowed heavily. "Kyp wouldn't let me tell you this morning… but _this_…" he glanced sadly at the tiny being in her arms, at the monitors attached to her. "This is my fault, Jaina."

"What do you mean?" she frowned lightly, distracted still by the hungry baby, watching his little fingers flex randomly in the air as he drank.

"I-" his voice broke slightly. "When Zekk and I got here, I wasn't intending to stay," she turned sharply in surprise. "My father urged me not to come back, said that he and Formbi and Ashik could handle things, and I agreed… and then we contacted my mother, and when she said that you were pregnant… I'm sorry, Jaina, I'm so sorry," he looked down, eyes red.

"Don't be," she murmured. "You, your mother- Wedge- only believed exactly what you were intended to believe. There was to be no doubt, Jag, we _couldn't_ let them think that he was yours…"

Jag nodded glumly. "But I was so angry, sweetheart- at Kyp. I needed to see you, but I chose to confront him first. And Zekk knew that, if your uncle realized we were here, he would stop us from returning to regroup with my father, so we had to hide our presences…"

"Ysalamiri," she whispered, eyes widening marginally.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, sliding off the bed and beginning to pace in frustration, running a hand through his hair agitatedly. "I could have killed you, killed the baby… almost _did_," he wiped angrily at tears escaping onto his cheeks. "Because of my kriffing _jealousy_."

She set the bottle down and reached her hand out, urging him to come back to her. "Jag, please- you didn't know, you couldn't have, you had no reason to suspect what would happen if the connection between Kyp and myself was cut, _I_ didn't even know what would happen. Everything's fine now- I'm alright, our child is alright… we're together again, don't let us start afresh with regret."

A long silence ensued during which Jag settled back down on the bed and Jaina resumed feeding the boy.

"Naviin."

"Hm?" she half-turned her head.

He twisted around and reached out to cup her face, running a thumb along her cheek. "Naviin- in Cheunh, it means 'new beginnings.' What better name for this baby born of an utter miracle?"

Smiling broadly, removing the half-empty bottle from the mouth of the infant who was gradually drifting asleep once more, Jaina set it down and reached out to touch the little hand, felt the tiny fingers flex unconsciously against her palm. "Naviin Fel," she murmured. "Welcome to the family."

X-X-X-X

That evening, Luke finally found time to sit down with a mildly abashed Zekk, and he studied him carefully for a long minute while the tall young Jedi sat looking like a reprimanded student. "So," Luke leaned back in his seat, "a bit more than just a simple fact-finding mission?"

"I apologize for being so abrupt when we last spoke," he smiled apologetically. "But there was nothing I could say, and we were in too deep to back out."

"Did you know then? That Jag and Soontir- and Formbi- were alive?"

Zekk shook his head. "No, though certain inconsistencies about the explosion on the ship, the reports filed, the syndic we finally pinned it on… clearly something bigger was happening, and as we tracked movements around the fleet, on the syndic's home planet… something didn't add up. The possibility had crossed my mind, and everyone else's, but I didn't want to say something and then have it turn out to be wild speculation."

Luke nodded his understanding. "So what happens now?"

"The Aristocra, Ashik, Baron Fel, and… Davik… are compiling the necessary evidence against the conspirators and Formbi and Ashik will see justice served. And in the meantime… Tahlia's got their backs."

"And the Fels?"

He shrugged. "They aren't returning to the Ascendancy, and if the Chiss ever tried to touch them again… they'd be exiled or executed, if the conspirators aren't already after Formbi is through with them. The one thing worse than treason in Chiss society- according to Baron Fel- is the failure to even execute the treason properly."

For a long time, Luke considered him, and Zekk met his calculating gaze evenly. "Now that everything is straightening itself out, and Jaina and her baby are on the mend… Zekk, what happened yesterday? All I've really gathered is that you and Jag intended to… what? See Jaina and take off again?"

Zekk flushed. "Master Skywalker, that was a foolish plan, and I'm sorry. But Jag… originally, the plan was for me to bring him here, sneak him in quietly, the idea being to keep him laid low until Formbi makes his move. But just before we were to separate, the baron established a heavily-encrypted link with his wife on Corellia- some secure, private channel that she's continued to monitor, even after all this time. And… she didn't want Jag to come in unawares. So she told us that Jaina was pregnant, confirmed to Wedge by Leia… and that she'd been sharing quarters with Kyp since they relocated to Ossus.

"Jag was stunned at first, and then utterly devastated," Luke winced, but motioned him to continue. "And as we made the long jump to Ossus, he decided that he should be there for his family, for Ashik who had risked so much on his behalf… but he wanted to see Jaina, wanted to know if it was too late."

"But he went to Kyp first," Luke remarked evenly.

"Yeah, well," Zekk grinned guiltily. "He was smart enough not to just surprise her, but trying to keep under the radar- under _your_ radar… it was tricky. So he asked me to find her, to tell her that he was alive _first_… and in the meantime, he went to tell Kyp that he would fight for her if he had to."

A slight smile touched the corners of Luke's mouth. "I notice Kyp has a nice mark from that encounter…"

Zekk grimaced. "I think Jag feels pretty bad about that now, actually. But anyway, before Kyp could explain, Jaina collapsed, they rushed to the med center… Master Skywalker, he never meant to hurt her, not even when he thought…" he trailed off and looked away.

"I know," Luke assured him. "As does Jaina, as does Kyp." He paused. "But I have to ask… you just _happened _to have ysalamiri around…?"

The young Jedi smirked. "We may have borrowed it from the syndic's estate… strange, he seemed _awfully _convinced that the Jedi would be coming after him sooner or later…"

Luke just shook his head and sighed. "Convenient." Zekk flushed and looked down, and Luke spoke soothingly. "You didn't know, you couldn't have. And what was almost tragedy has transformed into an impossibly happy reunion, and the start of a new life."

"What will happen with Jag now? Isn't his plan to go unnoticed a little blown?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't think so- he and Kyp passed some people in the corridors yesterday, but otherwise, he's been sequestered in the med center, Tekli was able to cordon off Jaina's end of that wing. And once she's recovered, and the baby is ready to be away from constant medical supervision, he can just hunker down in the cabin that she's been sharing with Kyp all this time. One way or another though, the Chiss on the whole will know what happened, and then the galaxy at large- anyone who was involved in the kidnapping will have realized long before now that they've lost any chance of recapturing them before the Ruling Families are made aware. For now, the best we can do is keep him out of sight and avoid saying too much."

"Saying too much?"

Luke grinned. "I had someone contact Han, Leia, and Jacen yesterday when they were preparing to operate on Jaina. Jacen wasn't too far away, out on a mission, he should be here mid-day tomorrow, and Han and Leia the next morning. Now that everyone is okay, I think I can take a _little_ enjoyment out of seeing their faces when they find Jag here, safe and sound…"


	23. Part 22

**Part XXII**

Heavy booted footsteps walked quickly through the temple corridors, winding their way down and around towards the med center. He was almost there, too, when an approaching presence made him halt, pursing his lips together as he waited for the other to catch up.

"Jacen," Kyp gasped, out of breath. "Sorry, Master Skywalker just told me you arrived…" he gestured down a side hallway. "She's down this way."

But Jacen first turned and eyed the Jedi Master seriously. "Kyp, I thought you had this under control."

"I did."

"Then why did I get a call informing me that Tekli and the other healers were doing an emergency operation to get the baby two months early because Jaina panicked and, somehow, couldn't handle carrying the child anymore?"

"Because I let her rely too much on my presence, let her use me to lean on in every facet of life. When my bond with her was cut, she couldn't handle it." They stepped through to the private area. "When I tried to reestablish the connection, she fought me- unintentionally for the most part, I don't know if she even remembers much of what happened."

Jacen sighed. "Why was the connection severed at all?" he demanded.

"A strange combination of accident and miscommunication, misunderstanding."

"Which room?" Jacen asked testily. Kyp pointed to a door on the left several meters away, and Jacen stared at it a long moment. "I can sense her again," he murmured slowly.

Kyp smiled mysteriously. "I have faith that you'll find her a wholly changed woman."

"Where's the baby?"

He paused and reached out, searching for that little mind he'd spent so long connected with… "He's in there. So is Leyla."

Jacen swallowed. "It's a boy?" he asked softly. "Has she named him yet?"

"Naviin."

The younger man looked curiously around at him, hand resting on the door handle. "Where did that come from?"

"It's a Cheunh word," Kyp returned slowly.

A shadow passed over Jacen's face. "Really? Seems a little… inappropriate, don't you think?"

He pushed the door open. "It means 'new beginning,'" Kyp murmured as Jacen stepped through the door, and he followed behind.

"Uncle Jacen!" Leyla exclaimed in a slightly hushed voice, hurrying over to the door. "Shh… mom's asleep…" she gestured, grinning, over to the bed, and Jacen followed her gaze, and the shock radiated from him in the Force as he met the green eyes of Jagged Fel. After a stunned few seconds, he turned wryly to Kyp.

"Thanks for the heads up."

"Anytime, kid." He laughed. "Leyla? How about we leave them some time to get reacquainted?"

She nodded and hugged Jacen once before skipping lightly out the door after Kyp. Once they were gone, Jacen turned back and studied the sight before him. Jaina was asleep, turned slightly to her side, looking calm and serene. Jag sat on the edge of the bed, bundle of baby and blanket resting in the crook of his arm. "Long story?" Jacen asked sardonically.

"The longest kind." He stood slowly and Jacen clasped his shoulder tightly.

"It's good to see you, Jag. I'd ask how you've been, but…" he shrugged apologetically.

Jag smiled thinly. "Not all that bad, actually," he confessed. "I at least knew that Jaina and Leyla were safe," he glanced bitterly towards the bed. "And we haven't really talked much about it, but from what little Kyp's told me, and Luke…"

"It's been hard," Jacen acknowledged quietly. "But… even asleep, I can sense that she's happier, more peaceful than she's been in a long time." He hesitated. "When did you get here? I won't even bother asking the how yet…"

"Two days ago," Jag returned evenly. "And before you ask, yes, it was my fault that Kyp lost his connection with the baby, my fault that this almost ended tragically…" he shivered once, and Jacen put a reassuring hand on his arm. With effort, he drew a deep breath and smiled forcedly at his brother-in-law. "You have a nephew."

Smiling broadly, Jacen accepted the boy from Jag and laughed softly as little eyes, the bright blue of a newborn, blinked up at him. "Hey, little guy," he murmured. "I'm your uncle Jacen."

"Not a bad look for you," he looked over and saw Jaina propped up on an elbow. "Ever think about getting one of your own?"

He grinned and went to the bed. "How you doing?" he asked softly. He placed Naviin in her waiting arms.

Smiling, eyes soft as she looked down at him, she murmured, "I'm doing wonderfully."

X-X-X-X

Luke and Mara met Han and Leia as they disembarked from the _Falcon_, and they hugged quickly before Han started quickly towards the temple proper, not bothering with further pleasantries.

"She's doing well, Han," Luke called after him wryly.

"Believe it when I see it, kid."

Leia shook her head in exasperation- perhaps more confident of Jaina's well-being, given her own awareness in the Force- and fell into step between Luke and Mara. "So everything turned out… okay?"

"Better than you could imagine."

His sister fixed him with a long stare. "You're being 'mysterious-Jedi-Master-Luke.' I hate that."

Han whirled and stopped. "Mysterious? What? Is there something we should know? You said Jaina and the baby are good, right?"

Luke raised his hand and smiled. "Everything is just fine. I… have some big news for you, but it'll have to wait until we're somewhere more private," he murmured. "It's still a bit… on the quiet."

Leia and Han exchanged a quick look. "Maybe we should talk before we go see her then," Leia said softly. "There's something we want to talk to you about, but I don't want Jaina to overhear anything."

That quickly gave Luke and Mara pause. Hesitating a moment, Luke directed them into a small private meditation room a couple of corridors over and, when he shut the door behind them, he turned back and cocked his head slightly. "You've heard news out of the Ascendancy?" he guessed.

Han nodded. "We had a message waiting for us when we dropped out of hyperspace, from Talon Karrde."

Mara shook her head ruefully. "Should have figured. He always did know what was happening in the most obscure corners of the galaxy before everyone else."

"Yeah, well he said that he's been hearing some strange things, about a failed conspiracy to pull the Galactic Alliance into a conflict with the Chiss, a plot that was to be waged through the _Jedi_…" Leia shook her head worriedly. "And… rumors about…"

"About Formbi and the Fels being alive?"

Han and Leia started. "Did Karrde…" Leia paused, studied Luke and Mara's faces, and then a broad smile lit her features. "Jag's here, isn't he?"

"Alive and well, and proud father of a three-day-old son."

Han laughed cheerfully and slapped Luke on the back. "That's great, kid, just great." He stopped and something seemed to occur to him. "Had to be a bit of a shock for him when he showed up though… how did that go over?"

"He punched Kyp Durron in the face."

Leia winced. "At least we know now that everything we planned was… very convincing."

"Come on," Luke smiled warmly. "Let's go and see them."

X-X-X-X

_She slept for barely an hour before the med-droid brought in a fussy Leyla and gave Jaina a patient lesson in nursing the infant. For his part, Jag finally settled in a comfortable chair and dozed lightly for a half-hour or so, finally waking up to find Jaina still holding the baby, now asleep, gently caressing the top of her head with little wisps of dark hair, sometimes taking one of her little hands and watching in fascination as she reflexively squeezed her finger, even while asleep._

_Jaina glanced over at him as he stood and smiled softly before turning back to Leyla. Jag perched on the edge of the bed and watched them for a moment before reaching over and gently tilting Jaina's face towards him, leaning down, and capturing her lips in a soft kiss. She sighed against him before leaning back tiredly in the bed. He gently lifted Leyla from her arms and placed her in the waiting bassinet next to the bed before sliding more fully onto the bed himself to drape an arm around Jaina's shoulders and pull her close to him. _

"_I've been doing some thinking," he murmured.  
><em>

"_While you were asleep?" _

_He ignored the gentle tease. "And I was wondering… as far as naming her goes- her _last name_," he clarified. "I thought maybe it would… make sense… to name her Fel." Jaina looked up at him in surprise. "It'll only reinforce what everyone will assume anyway, and if it provides that last little bit of protection for her…" _

_Eyes a little wide, Jaina was quiet for a moment. "I- I appreciate the offer," she said quietly. "But, Jag… that would be making a huge commitment to something that…" she shrugged listlessly. "I couldn't let you take that responsibility if something were to happen to me, or between us."_

_He looked at her with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that gave her pause. "That sort of brings me to my next question, actually…" she quirked a brow, and he smiled and took her hands in his. "Jaina, I love you; and, I know that a lot is uncertain right now, but… this war can't last forever. Eventually it will end, and we'll all have to move on with our lives and… wherever that moving on takes me, Jaina… I'd like for it to include you- and Leyla." Her expression was slightly owlish as he leaned forward to kiss her softly once more, simultaneously letting her right hand drop while his fingers deftly sought the fourth finger on her left hand. _

"_Jaina Solo," he slid something around her finger, "will you marry me?" _

X-X-X-X

Jaina ran a finger over the raised pink scars that were the only remnants of the healers' incisions after five days of bacta treatment. After a moment, her wrist was gently seized; Jag raised her hand to his mouth and trailed soft kisses up her inner forearm before pulling her tunic up the rest of the way and over her head.

"Still think I'm pretty?" she grinned.

His eyes softened. "You're beautiful, Jaina."

He held up her robe and helped her shrug her shoulders into it, reaching around and pulling it across her body before wrapping his arms around her, embracing her gently. She let herself sink into his touch, relieved to finally be held by him after she had essentially been bed-ridden for five days. "I've missed this," she murmured. "Force, you have no idea how I've missed this."

"I do," he released her and gently turned her around to face him. "I promise you, I do." Leaning forward, he captured her lips in a heart-stopping kiss that she lazily thought could have gone on for about ten minutes before she needed to breathe again… and then a soft cry broke them apart, and he shrugged guiltily. "Guess he's impatient."

She moved to the bed- back in the cabin now, finally free of the med center- while he retrieved a fussy Naviin from the bassinet that was newly placed in the room. "What if he's… I don't know… used to the artificial stuff that Tekli's been giving him?" Jaina asked as she took the boy.

Jag chuckled. "I doubt, at the tender age of five days, that he's developed particularly picky sensibilities yet. And unless she's been giving him bantha blue milk, I think the synthetic milk is designed to, you know… be a close replacement." He watched as she carefully maneuvered the baby on the bed and turned to her side, opening her robe to give him access to start nursing. "There, see?" he spoke softly as he gently lowered himself to the bed on the other side of Naviin, propped on his side so he could face Jaina.

She winced a couple of times, but smiled as tiny hands moved purposelessly against her body. "He's already gaining some weight," she murmured.

"He's hungry enough of the time, I'd hope so," Jag muttered. "Don't worry," he touched her cheek. "He'll be just fine, and he's certainly got enough of his family looking out for him."

"And Kyp," Jaina said softly. "I don't think he realizes I've noticed, but he checks on Naviin constantly, he's like a nervous hawk-bat mother on a nest. No matter what anyone says, I think he feels like he's somehow to blame for not being able to reconnect with him, but… it was no one 's fault- and everyone's," she grinned, "except Kyp's. I'm the one who asked him to do it. I'm the one who wouldn't just calm down enough to stop what was happening, and it's because I let myself get utterly dependent on Kyp, without even realizing it, that I was paralyzed when the link broke. I was selfish, I wouldn't try to save my baby because _I_ didn't want to feel any pain. It should never have come to that."

"You found yourself widowed and unexpectedly pregnant," Jag caressed her cheek. "I think the expectations sort of go out the window."

She bit her lip and looked up at him. "I... maybe this isn't the time… but I have a few confessions."

"Oh?" he gave a lopsided smile.

Shifting to get more comfortable, wondering at the astounding power of little Naviin to eat more than seemed possible for his small size, she met his gaze steadily. "First… I was lonely and confused, for a long time, and when it all just got too much to handle, I thought that, maybe… if I could just connect on a personal level, an intimate level… maybe some of that would lessen, would go away. So I uh… made a complete fool of myself trying to seduce Kyp, maybe five or six months ago now."

He blinked in surprise. "Was that punch merited after all?" he teased gently, but she looked away, going red.

"No, he got pretty stern with me, laid out exactly what I was doing and why, and it made me feel awful… but he stayed with me that night, and every so often afterwards, when I was feeling at my worst, he would just come and hold me until I fell asleep…" she trailed away and glanced down as Naviin yawned. "I thought you should know that though."

He shrugged. "Jaina, I'm only just starting to understand just how much Kyp has done for you, for the baby while I was gone, but… it's clear that I owe him a lot."

"He'd say you were even."

"He already has."

For a moment, they regarded each other. Then, she sighed and continued. "Secondly… I had already suspected for a few days that I was pregnant _before_ we spoke for the last time, when Jacen and I were on Reecee. I chose not to tell you."

"Why?" he asked, eyes curious.

"I wanted to check with Cilghal and be certain," she sighed. "And… I was determined that I tell you in person, if at all possible."

He nodded, smile a little sad. "What's third?" he asked softly.

She hesitated, knew that this one would be the hardest for him to hear. "The pregnancy… it wasn't as unexpected as you think," she whispered.

"How so?" his voice turned cautious and even.

"I… hid something from you, Jag, something I had no right not to tell you, but I didn't want to upset you, didn't want to start a rift between you and… Kyp."

He frowned lightly. "I'm not following."

She drew a deep breath. "A couple weeks before Leyla left for Ossus and you for Csilla, I went to see Cilghal, to see if she had anything to say that the other doctors didn't about the… trouble we were having. She posed a theory, one that explained the lack of physical causes for my not being able to get pregnant again."

"And that explanation was Kyp," Jag finished quietly.

She nodded miserably. "I talked to him, and we both went back to see Cilghal, and she came to the conclusion that… what Kyp did with the Force, thirteen years ago now… it left traces of his Force-signature on my body, traces that… rendered me, not unable to bear children, but… unable to bear _yours_… or anyone else's..."

"But Kyp's."

"Yes," she cringed. "But he didn't know, and he was horrified when she said it, and he undid the damage, but we weren't even sure if it would work, so I just sort of… put it out of my mind, figured that I'd worry about it again in a few months if… nothing happened…"

Jag sighed softly. "And then they summoned me back."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, turning slightly away from him and straightening her robe; he looked down to see their son already asleep again, full and content. "I was… afraid that you'd be angry and bitter, and maybe you are, or you will be later, but… it was also because of his lingering Force-presence that Kyp was able to connect with the baby through my shields when no one else could, not even me."

He looked at her closely for a moment while she bit her lip to stop it from trembling. He leaned forward, careful of the sleeping boy, and kissed her forehead softly before pulling back and picking up the baby and carrying him back to the bassinet. Returning to the bed, he slid in on the other side, behind her, where he could pull her back into his arms and hold her comfortingly.

"I'm not angry," he whispered into her ear. "I'm not bitter. I don't want you to worry about anything right now, okay?" She nodded slowly and he pressed his lips to a sensitive spot below her ear. "New beginnings, remember?"

Despite herself, she laughed, and he brushed away the lone tear that had escaped onto her cheek. "Yes," she murmured. "New beginnings."


	24. Epilogue

**A/N:** Eek- last post! Thanks for sticking through, hope you enjoyed, and comments are greatly appreciated- enjoy!

**Epilogue**

_Two Months Later_

Not since they married on Zonama Sekot had their entire families come together in the same place. But on a warm and sunny afternoon, as they awaited the last shuttle that would come from Corellia, as Jaina and Jag clasped hands while she used the Force to create a light barrier that directed the winds from the landing craft around them, she looked forward to the coming days of reconnection.

"Syd seems nice," Jaina murmured absently as the shuttle set down.

"Hm," Jag agreed. "Yes; a shame that, as an older brother, I'm honor-bound to dislike him regardless of his personal merits."

She smacked his arm lightly- the one that _didn't_ have a baby in it. His younger sister, Wynssa, and her husband Syd had arrived only an hour prior, and were now being shown their quarters and given time to freshen up after a long flight from Bastion. "That's hardly fair," she protested. "Jacen's always liked _you_. And he may not be an older brother, but surely a twin is even _more_ absurdly protective than any old normal brother."

A voice called out from behind them. "That's only because Jacen was so relieved to see that you didn't have anything to do with _me_ anymore." They turned; Jaina shook her head ruefully as Kyp strode towards them, glancing at the powering-down shuttle. "Speaking of which- at the risk of being repetitive and redundant- Wedge is going to kill me."

Jaina laughed but Jag just cocked a confused brow. "Is he?"

"Sure- he still thinks I knocked up your wife."

Jag narrowed his eyes menacingly before chuckling softly. "Remember what we said? We aren't going to even try this time- the whole family gets the _whole_ story."

"Still gives Wedge plenty of time to kill Kyp before hearing the full explanation though," Jaina pointed out reasonably. "Which begs the question then- why are you here?"

"Ah," Kyp looked around. "I was looking for Leyla actually."

A mischievous tint came to Jag's eye as he glanced once at Jaina and then looked very seriously at Kyp. "I saw her a little while ago, running around on the Garden Level. She was with a friend though- a boy. They might have been holding hands, I can't say for sure."

Kyp scowled and wordlessly turned and headed back towards the temple. When he was out of ear shot, Jag chuckled to himself while Jaina stared at him, unimpressed.

"You realize that after Kyp's done with that poor kid, he'll be too terrified to ever leave his room again?"

"Too late," Jag's eyes danced merrily. "Ben already got a hold of him."

She smiled wryly. "Ah. And I was wondering why you weren't going _with _Kyp to threaten him."

"I guess it's nice to see that, in the absence of an older brother, Leyla has a cousin who will fill the role in practical matters."

"Practical matters?" Jaina queried. "Such as threatening to assault potential suitors?"

Jag winced. "_Please_ don't use the word 'suitor.' She's only twelve, you know."

Jaina grinned wickedly. "I was only sixteen when we met…"

"Yeah, but you were eighteen before I managed to lure you in with my charming ways. Gives me an extra two years to breathe easy." She glanced pointedly at Kyp's retreating figure. "Right," he cringed. "Forget I said anything. Back to plan A."

"Which is?"

"Locking her in her room until she's thirty."

"Ah, yes." They started forward as the ramp of the shuttle lowered, and Syal Antilles Fel appeared soon thereafter, descending with a beaming smile on her face as she found Jag in her searching gaze.

When she reached the bottom of the ramp, Jag embraced her warmly. "Welcome, mother," he murmured. "It's wonderful to see you again, finally."

She didn't seem quite able to formulate a vocal response, but the tightness with which she gripped her son spoke volumes.

Jaina watched as Soontir and Wedge came next, each exchanging embraces with Jag while Jaina hovered slightly in the back, holding Naviin. Syal came to her with kind eyes and peered down at the squirming baby. "He's beautiful, Jaina," she said warmly. "May I…?"

Smiling, Jaina handed the child over to his grandmother and took the opportunity to join the growing crowd- Iella had descended with their two daughters, Syal and Myri, both already in their early twenties; Jaina remembered them as young girls of about ten and eleven playing with a two-year-old Leyla, and she smiled wistfully. Hugs and congratulations were exchanged, and Jaina was about to ask Syal about her piloting and plans to join the Defense Fleet, when Jag took her arm gently and pulled her aside.

"Darling," he murmured in her ear, "I'm afraid I have a secret of my own that I must now tell you about."

"_Now_?" she asked, glancing up as two last figures brought up the rear of the large group. One was Ashik, and he gave Jaina a warm smile as he stepped onto the grass. The other was tall and unknown to her… but still… somehow familiar.

Jag nodded and led her over to the new man, who immediately extended a hand. She shook it, quirking a brow bemusedly. "Jaina," Jag said quietly, "this is Cem- my brother."

"Your…?" She studied the face and saw the resemblance; the firm set of his jaw, the serious, deep-set eyes that were the hazel color of Wedge's. "It's an honor to meet you, Cem," she said, a bit curiously.

"The honor is mine, Jaina," he spoke in a semi-formal manner that evoked a younger Jag, before they had grown close. "And I hope you'll forgive my brother for the… omission."

Jag spoke up to explain. "My parents decided, after Chak and Davin were born, to uphold the long-standing Chiss tradition of raising a 'shadow-child.' Cem was next and chosen for the… dubious honor. By the time you and I met, Cem was already living in the Imperial Remnant, flying under the command of an old friend and co-pilot of my father's. As of a year ago, he headed an elite squadron headquartered- ironically- aboard the same flagship where Syd serves."

"Hardly ironic," Cem said pointedly. "I arranged his transfer when I heard of the engagement. _He_ doesn't know that, of course."

Jag looked at him incredulously a moment before chuckling. "Brothers," Jaina muttered under her breath.

X-X-X-X

_His heart almost stopped beating when he saw her pale face and blank expression. A quick glance reassured him that Leyla was fine, her slumbering form was lying on the sofa beside Jaina, little chest rising and falling rhythmically._

"_What's wrong?" he demanded, hurrying to the sofa and sitting carefully on the other side of the dozing infant. "Jaina, what is it?"_

_It took her a minute to formulate the words. "It's… I was wrong; mom was right."_

"_About what?"_

"_Jacen."_

_He stared. The young Jedi from the Myrkr mission had felt him die after they had been forced to leave him behind, after Vergere's betrayal… and only Leia had insisted that he lived. "He's… alive?" he queried. "You can feel him again?"_

"_I spoke to him. He's on Mon Calamari. He escaped."_

_Jag grinned, but his smile faltered when she retained the wide-eyed, blank look. "Jaina, what's wrong?" _

_She shook her head as though to clear it. "I- nothing. It's just… I have to see him."_

"_Of course," he assured her. "Don't worry, we'll work it out. I can take some time off, and my mother can help with Leyla… Jaina?" he touched her arm hesitantly. "What is it, what did Jacen say?"_

_She swallowed thickly. "Not Jacen," she muttered. "Uncle Luke got the call through. Omas and the rest of the Council want to do a knighting ceremony for the Myrkr survivors… on Mon Calamari. They're all headquartered there now, I guess Admiral Ackbar is doing some strategic planning…"_

"_Jaina," he cupped her cheek and turned her head to face him. "What's the matter?"_

"_Kyp is on the Advisory Council."_

_He frowned. "Since when?"_

"_Two or three months ago." _

"What_?" _

_She stood suddenly and began to pace. "I don't know! Uncle Luke says that he's better, that he's back from the edge, that he's remorseful… he's going on missions with the Jedi again, he went with Luke and Mara and a bunch of Wraiths on an infiltration mission to Coruscant…"_

"_If you aren't comfortable going…"_

"_I have to see my brother!" For a moment, they regarded one another in silence. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "But… what am I supposed to do here, Jag? How do I go there with the possibility of coming face-to-face with him again? What if he realizes I'm hiding something? What if he guesses _what_ is it that I'm hiding?" _

_With trembling hands, she picked up the infant and cradled her to her chest, sitting back down on the sofa and letting Jag draw her against him. "I don't know," he murmured. "But your uncle will be there if you need help, and… chances are, he'll be just as eager to avoid you as you him. If he's as remorseful as Luke says he is."_

_She sighed. It was a fair point. _

_Leyla began to squirm in her arms and wake up. Jaina looked down and saw her yawn and smiled lightly to herself… even now, nearly two months later, she couldn't get over the innocent purity of the little being who came from such a dark place._

_Leyla… dark beauty… _

"_I have to see him, don't I?" she whispered. "I have to let go."_

"_Let go of what?" Jag asked quickly, mildly alarmed. _

_She stroked her daughter's soft cheek. "The anger, the bitterness… how will I be able to give Leyla all that she needs if I'm forever bitter towards… towards her father?" _

"_I think you have the right to be bitter," Jag murmured evenly. "And… what if he hurts you again?"_

_She exhaled heavily and glanced at him. "Then we would know that he can never know that Leyla is his daughter."_

"_Isn't that the plan already?"_

_She slumped against him, staring down at Leyla's wide eyes, already darkening to brown. "I don't know," she whispered. "I have to see him."_

X-X-X-X

"So how about that Corellian ale now?"

Leia turned and smiled sardonically at Wedge. "I was wondering if you were going to mention that."

He shrugged and sighed, turning to look out over the big banquet-style setup that had been erected outside under a canopy for the twenty-odd people who were part of the Solo-Skywalker-Fel-Antilles family gathering. That number also included Ashik and Kyp, of course, the latter of whom was sitting between Leyla and Jaina and, after several times when the girl snapped at him in exasperation to stop asking about 'the boy,' Jaina finally laughingly told him to knock it off.

Ben sat on Leyla's other side, and it looked to Wedge that he was siding with Kyp in the matter.

"You were pretty sneaky," he pointed out to her. "Han would have been proud."

"I just wish it hadn't been necessary."

He winced. "Yeah. See, there goes my biological predisposition, running my mouth off again."

She grinned and put a hand comfortingly on his forearm. "Nah," she argued. "You just made a good little pawn, and you played your role _admirably_. Did Jag tell you that he decked Kyp when he first arrived on Ossus with Zekk?"

Wedge's brows shot up in surprise. "No," he chuckled. "He neglected to mention that part." For a long moment, he stared at the Jedi Master on the far side of the pavilion as he ruffled Leyla's hair affectionately, as he took baby Naviin from Jaina before she stood and went to join in a conversation between Jacen and Jag. "You know, five years ago, I would have found that thought strangely satisfying, but now…" he sighed. "Blast it, Leia, I think I'm running out of reasons to keep trying to dislike Kyp Durron."

She nodded sympathetically. "Infuriating, isn't it?"

"Just when I think I can safely go back to despising the guy behind his back…"

"You find out that everything he's done has been to save Leyla, or to protect Jaina and her baby?"

"Yep."

She laughed lightly. "Careful, Wedge- before you know it, the two of you might end up… _friends_." She gave a mock-gasp of horror. He narrowed his eyes at her jokingly. "But in the meantime, why don't you go say hi and visit your new nephew?"

"Yeah, alright."

X-X-X-X

_Two Weeks Later_

Heaving an exhausted sigh, Jaina sat heavily on the sofa, squeezing herself into the space between Jag and Kyp and draping an arm around each of their shoulders. "Well," she sank down and rested her head back against the sofa, "that's the last of them."

"Jacen made it off alright?"

"Yeah," she murmured. "He'll be back soon enough though, I think he plans on corrupting Naviin with his impish-uncle's ways as early as possible." Jag smiled ruefully. "You know how it's been ten years since our whole family has been congregated in the same place?" she asked. "Yeah- let's make the next one in another ten."

Jag reached over and lifted her arm from Kyp's shoulder before gently turning her body slightly and pulling her to lean against him, his arms wrapped tight around her. "I didn't think it was that bad," he murmured. "Our fathers didn't kill each other, Wedge didn't kill Kyp, and Syal and Myri only succeeding in luring Leyla and Ben into a _little_ bit of trouble."

"That's fair," Kyp pointed out reasonably. "And Iella _did_ say that the green would wash out in another few days." After a moment's pause, they all laughed- and then another noise broke in, and Jaina sighed again. Kyp touched a restraining hand to her knee. "I'll get it."

"Don't bother," she stood with effort, moving slowly, tiredly. "He's hungry." Smiling down at the fussing baby, she reached in and tickled his little belly before lifting Naviin from the bassinet. "Hey there, little man… you're getting bigger every day, aren't you?"

With long-practiced ease, she balanced the boy in one arm while using her free hand to draw the nursing cloak on over her tunic. Returning to the sofa, she sat down and quickly situated the baby and adjusted the tunic beneath the cloak that protected her modesty.

It wasn't until several seconds later, when Kyp glanced around from the HoloNet broadcast he was half-paying attention to that he registered what she was doing. "Oh," his face went slightly red. "Sorry, do you want me to…?" he gestured half-heartedly towards the door to his room while she fixed him with an incredulous stare while Jag snickered behind his hand.

"Honestly, Kyp, it's been two and a half months, this probably happens a good half-dozen times a day on average… at what point are you going to stop running out of the room whenever Naviin is hungry?"

"You just like making me uncomfortable," he accused.

She smirked and glanced pointedly down at the encompassing cloak. "Let me ask you this, Kyp- if you didn't _know_ that I was nursing him right now, would you even be able to tell?"

He narrowed his eyes before sighing and slumping backwards. "Fine. You win. But to answer your first question, it's going to stop happening pretty soon…" he met her eyes and his look softened slightly, "because I won't be sticking around much longer." That drew both of their attention immediately. "I think it's time to let you guys really be a family again."

Jag's mouth quirked ruefully. "Like it or not Kyp, you're part of the family." His expression sobered slightly. "I hope you didn't get the impression from either of us that…?"

"No," Kyp assured him. "It's nothing like that. I just…" he trailed off and looked away, collecting his thoughts. "I think it's time for me to do my own thing."

"What do you mean?" Jaina frowned lightly, shifting her weight slightly to hold Naviin more comfortably.

He glanced at her and smiled wryly. "We've been living together for almost a year now, Jaina- and I was happy to do it, to protect you and Naviin, would do it again in a heartbeat… but it's done, my purpose is at an end- a happy one, I might add. And for some five years, our lives have been closely linked, but now that Leyla is here at Ossus to stay… maybe it's time for me to figure out what's next in _my_ life." He took a deep breath. "Everyone is moving on… the two of you are starting fresh here, Leyla has years of training ahead of her. But if I stayed around," he met her eyes evenly, "I'd just be clinging to something that isn't there anymore."

Jaina bit her lip and nodded in acknowledgement. Jag observed the two of them closely, as they seemed to almost forget he was still there while they locked eyes, and he wondered what was communicated silently between them, wondered what had passed between them in the months of his absence.

He'd probably never know.

He didn't even think that they did.

X-X-X-X

"_Aren't you going to ask?"_

_He pulled her closer and placed the softest of kisses against her neck. "I thought I'd let you bring it up in your own time."_

_They were quiet for a few minutes, listening to each other breathing, enjoying being together again after several weeks apart. When she still said nothing after a lengthy silence, he finally spoke up. "Did you see him?"_

"_Yes." Her voice was barely above a whisper. _

_He waited another few beats for her to elaborate. She didn't. "By accident or design?" _

_The faintest hint of amusement came across in her voice. "Design; I practically had to hunt him down."_

"_You what?" _

_She shook her head ruefully. "He wasn't there when I arrived; there was some minor offensive in Ylesia that he was helping head up. When he got in two days later…" she sighed. "I could sense it, the moment he landed…"_

"_Could sense what?"_

"_The regret, the remorse. He kept trying to pull his presence back, like he wanted to hide from me, and he avoided me at all costs for three days until the ceremony. So once it was over, I followed him out and… it was awful, Jag."_

_His stomach twisted. "What?" he demanded. "Did he hurt you?" _

"_No," she assured him softly. "His guilt, the absolute self-hatred… it was horrible to feel. He…" she hesitated, feeling almost like she was betraying a confidence. "He cried, and he apologized expecting nothing in return."_

"_What would you give him in return?" Jag scowled. _

_Her voice was serene. "Forgiveness."_

_Jag huffed. "That'll be the day," he muttered. She stiffened ever so slightly, and he frowned, though she could not see it in the darkened room, facing away from him anyway as he held her. "You did, didn't you? You forgave him." _

_The tone was more accusing than he had meant it to sound, and her response was slightly defensive. "It was the only thing I _could_ do."_

"_You could have let him avoid you like he wanted," Jag murmured wryly. Her silence was terse, and she stilled in his arms and, in the blink of an eye, he understood. "You're going to tell him." _

"_Eventually," she whispered. "If this war ever ends and he comes out of it without another slide… then yes, I'll tell him. If I'd done it on Mon Calamari, the guilt and regret would have killed him, but… eventually."_

_He bit his lip, but had to say it, had to make sure that she understood the full ramifications of what she suggested. "You realize that… if you tell him about Leyla… you will tie yourself to him for the duration of Leyla's childhood. Once he knows the truth, you won't be able to deny him a claim in her life."_

_She was thoughtfully silent for a long time, and he wasn't sure if she was reconsidering, or just searching for the proper words to rebut him. "Maybe it's a Force-thing," she finally murmured. "But… I think Kyp has some important part to play yet. And I don't know when or why, but… Leyla is going to need him some day."_

_But what really bothered her, as she lay restless in her fiancé's arms, was that other lingering sensation, that persistent feeling that- despite all that had happened between them, the betrayals and the shattered trust- that some day, _she_ would need him too._

X-X-X-X

A week later, the three of them and Leyla strode slowly across the grounds, gradually working their way towards the hangar, where a StealthX was waiting for Kyp. He planned to first go to Coruscant, for the first time in nearly a year, meet with the Master's Council… and go from there. He had no definite plans- just to see where life… where the Force… would take him.

"You'll come back soon, right?" Leyla peered up at her father, voicing the same concern she had repeated almost daily for the past week.

"I don't know," Kyp repeated honestly. "But I'll be in touch, and you'll always be able to reach me and… I won't be gone too _long_, even if I'm not back soon. Deal?"

Sighing reluctantly, she nodded. None of them could really blame her for wanting to keep her family close by, after what had happened the last time they had splintered.

"Besides," Kyp leaned closer to Leyla, drawing an arm around her shoulders as they walked. "I was talking to a nice omwati student earlier, and she asked if I ever took apprentices. I haven't in..." he glanced ruefully at Jaina, "quite some time, but I was thinking that maybe it's about time to do my duty as a Master." He frowned. "What's so funny?"

Leyla grinned and looked up at him. "The student- was her name Ziv?"

"Yes…"

She laughed delightedly. "Daddy, you can't apprentice her… she _totally _has a crush on you."

That got Jaina going, and her shoulders shook with laughter as she handed Naviin to Jag to avoid jostling the baby in her mirth.

"Does she now?" Kyp's brows quirked in consternation. "That's… weird. But no, I wasn't planning on apprenticing Ziv. I've sort of got my eye on another student, but it'll be a few years before it's time to assign them a Master…"

"Who?"

He smiled. "You. If you'll have me." She looked surprised, but pleasantly so. "Don't worry about it now," he stopped her before she could open her mouth. "Just something to think on as your training here progresses, but no pressure." As he mussed her hair affectionately, the four of them walked into the hangar.

"Well," Jag clasped Kyp's shoulder. "I guess this is goodbye- for now."

"For now," Kyp agreed. "Take care of Leyla and Naviin. And… take care of Jaina."

He glanced at her, expected that same retort that she _always _fired back, that she could take care of herself… but it never came. As he watched her eyes water slightly, he wondered if she hadn't become just a little more in tune with her own limitations… her own weaknesses… by events of the past year. To some extent, he suspected that they all had.

She came slowly to face him, staring resignedly up at him. "You take care of _your_self," she ordered. "And stay out of trouble."

He grinned roguishly. "Don't I always?"

Chuckling ruefully under her breath, she sighed softly and reached out to pull him into a hug. His arms enfolded her tightly, and she leaned against his chest, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. "What did I do to deserve you, Kyp?"

She thought his answering laugh and words were a little choked. "Just wear a cloak in the rain from now on, and we'll call it even."

She pulled away and wiped at a damp cheek. "Goodbye, Kyp."

He shared a slightly longer farewell with Leyla while Jag clasped Jaina's hand tightly in his, balancing their nearly three-month-old son in the crook of his other arm. "He'll be okay," he murmured, as Kyp and Leyla embraced one last time before he gracefully leapt onto the wing of the StealthX. "We'll be okay." She leaned against him, and he drew an arm about her waist, leaning over to kiss the top of her head.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**Fin**

**A/N:** Again, please let me know how you liked it! It's been a fun ride for me, I hope it has been for you! :-)

Cheers!

*~Lexi~*


	25. Cover image info

**Story Cover designed by Iverna on the Jedi Council Forums; images property of Lucasfilms, LTD and pulled from Wookieepedia .**


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